Department for Transport

Railway Stations: Access

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the (a) list of stations nominated for the latest round of Access for all funding and (b) final weighted score of all stations in consecutive order after being assessed against the criteria (i) nationally, (ii) regionally and (iii) by franchise in the Library.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Mark’s Tey Station, in the Witham constituency, was one of 320 nominations received for the latest round of Access for All funding. It was not selected as there were other stations nominated in the region which had either third party match funding or higher footfall. A list of all 320 nominations will be placed in the Library of the House.Stations were not given a weighted score but were assessed against a range of criteria including annual footfall, the incidence of disability in the area, the availability of third party funding for the project, and the priorities of the rail industry itself. We also took into account local factors such as proximity to a hospital. Stations were also chosen to ensure a fair geographical spread of projects across the country.

Northern Rail Franchise

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to allow the Northern Rail franchise to be publicly run.

Andrew Jones: Alongside Transport for the North, who co-manage the franchise, our absolute priority is delivering the services that passengers expect. At a time when performance is improving and brand-new trains have been successfully introduced onto the network only this week to replace the unpopular and dated Pacers, major change could result in significant disruption. We see no reason at this stage to consider making changes to the franchise.

Aviation: Exhaust Emissions

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons his Department ceased to use a multiplier of 1.9 for the radiative forcing or non-CO2 effects of air travel in 2011 for Departmental passenger demand and CO2 forecasts; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Ellis: The Department does not quantify the non-CO2 impacts of aviation because of the extent of the scientific uncertainty in this area. Whilst there are a number of emission types from air travel, other than CO2 that are known to have an impact on global warming, the magnitude of these impacts is not well known. This approach is consistent with the Committee on Climate Change’s recent advice that acknowledges the difficulties in measuring and reporting the impact of non-CO2 emissions.

Pedestrians: Accidents

Sir Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many pedestrians were involved in road traffic accidents while using a mobile phone in the last year for which figures are available.

Michael Ellis: The department does not collect data specifically on mobile phone use for pedestrians involved in road accidents. The department collects data on personal injury road accidents reported to the police, including contributory factors which the police select when they attend the scene. This does not assign blame for the accident but gives an indication of factors the attending officer thought contributed to the accident. In 2017, the latest year for which figures are available, there were 2,490 road accidents involving pedestrians where the contributory factor of ‘Pedestrian careless, reckless or in a hurry’ was allocated to an injured or killed pedestrian, and 35 where this factor was allocated to an uninjured pedestrian in Great Britain. This contributory factor includes cases where the pedestrian either behaved in a negligent or thoughtless manner or was in a hurry and, therefore, behaved in an unsafe manner. It also includes cases where a pedestrian was distracted (e.g. using a mobile phone). Statistics on the number of accidents involving pedestrians by contributory factor assigned to pedestrians are available in table RAS50004: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/743098/ras50004.ods.

Transport: Exhaust Emissions

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Clean Air Strategy 2019, what guidance he has issued to ports on developing effective and targeted air quality strategies; and what recommendations the rail industry has made on phasing out diesel-only trains by 2040.

Michael Ellis: The Government committed in the Clean Air Strategy to publish guidelines to advise ports on how to develop effective and targeted air quality strategies. Also in January 2019, the Government published Maritime 2050 which set out strategic ambitions for the future of the maritime sector, including a vision for zero emission shipping. Building on these commitments, the Government will this week publish port air quality strategy guidelines, as well as the Clean Maritime Plan, which will set out further detail on a route map to reduce both air quality pollutant emissions and carbon dioxide from the maritime sector. My honourable friend, the Maritime Minister, will make a further statement to the House on the measures included within the plan on the day of publication. The rail industry decarbonisation taskforce published an interim report in January 2019. We expect the taskforce to publish its final report shortly.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total amount of funding through the Office of Low Emission Vehicles' workplace charging scheme was in (a) Barnsley, (b) South Yorkshire, (c) Yorkshire and the Humber and (d) the UK in each year since 2010.

Michael Ellis: The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) was introduced in 2017, whereby businesses, charities and public sector organisations can apply for grants to help roll-out chargepoints at workplaces. The estimated amount of funding awarded through the WCS, based upon the known number of grants for each of the requested areas, is as follows:  a) Barnsleyb) South Yorkshirec) Yorkshire and the Humberd) UK2017£1,200£1,200£9,900£101,4002018£12,000£23,700£79,100£742,4002019*£0£15,500£55,000£449,000 *figure for 2019 up to the start of April.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) total number and (b) number of publicly available charge-points for electric vehicles there were in (i) Barnsley, (ii) South Yorkshire, and (iii) Yorkshire and the Humber in each year since 2010.

Michael Ellis: Figures on the total number and number of publicly available electric vehicle chargepoints are unavailable. Members of the public and businesses are able to install chargepoints without government support, and information on these are not routinely collected. As at 8th July 2019 the charging point platform Zap-map reports that there are 1,216 public chargepoint connectors available in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Freight

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to ensure that his Department's plans announced in June 2019 to increase freight network capacity in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal will deliver value for money for the public purse.

Chris Grayling: The framework that my Department is setting up on behalf of wider Government will both provide access to freight capacity for our critical supply chains and deliver value for money for the taxpayer. Establishing a freight capacity framework will improve the UK’s resilience by providing public bodies with a list of operators who can provide capacity as and when needed, including in the event of ‘no deal’ departure from the EU.

Northern Rail Franchise: Rolling Stock

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's timescale is for permanently ceasing operation of Pacer trains on Northern Rail franchise routes.

Andrew Jones: Northern is planning to remove the first Pacer in August, and is working to remove all the Pacers by the end of the year. Our absolute priority is ensuring passengers in the north benefit from new trains, more services and increased capacity as quickly as possible.

Humber Bridge: Tolls

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the economic growth in the Humber since the 2012 decision to halve tolls on the Humber Bridge.

Michael Ellis: The Humber Bridge is owned by the Humber Bridge Board and any economic assessment of the impact of the tolls is a matter for the Board. Since the reduction of the tolls, 9.8 million trips were made across the Bridge in 2017/18, 52% more than in 2012. 92% of these were cars, suggesting a large increase in commuting across the river.

Large Goods Vehicles: EU Countries

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of ECMT permits (a) required by UK haulier operations and (b) that will be made available in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Chris Grayling: The Government has been clear that it does not intend to rely on ECMT permits after we leave the EU. The EU has agreed a regulation on basic road connectivity which guarantees rights for UK hauliers to continue providing services between the UK and the EU should the UK leave without a deal. As it stands, the Regulation would come into effect if the UK left the EU without a deal and would last until 31 December 2019.Going forward, we will be working with Member States to agree on bilateral arrangements. Many old bilateral agreements would become reinstated if we leave without a deal and we are confident that other bilaterals will be agreed swiftly, given it is in the interest of both sides for freight to continue to flow.The UK’s allocation of ECMT permits for 2020 is a base quota of 174 which is equivalent to 2,088 annual Euro VI ECMT permits.

Gatwick Airport Station

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much new rail capacity will be provided at Gatwick airport railway station under the £150 million upgrade to that station which he announced on 8 July 2019.

Andrew Jones: The Gatwick Airport Station Enhancement scheme which was announced on 8 July 2019 is primarily designed to tackle problems of pedestrian overcrowding within the station and train performance. The renovation will reduce train delays caused by platform overcrowding and congestion while also improving passenger experience by providing easier connections to other destinations.The Government is currently working with Network Rail on proposals to improve the capacity of the Brighton Main Line which includes journeys to and through Gatwick Airport Station.

Great Western Railway Line

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times signalling problems between Paddington and Swindon have caused delays in passenger journeys in each month since January 2018.

Andrew Jones: Detailed delay information is not collected by the Department for Transport. However, Network Rail’s railway performance statistics can be found on the Office of Rail and Road Data Portal website at https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/network-rail-outputs-and-indicators .

Driving Tests: Personation

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people have been sent to prison for impersonating someone else at a (a) driving test and (b) driving theory exam in the last 10 years.

Michael Ellis: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Post Office: Pensions

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Subpostmaster Pay review will include provisions for Subpostmasters to join the Post Office pension scheme.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010. The aim of this review is to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the remuneration rate postmasters receive from Post Office products and services. This will enable Post Office Limited to identify products and services that could see an increase in the variable fee paid to postmasters, so that postmasters, who are self-employed business owners, are able to ensure their businesses remain viable. Postmasters are self-employed, independent business owners and are not included in the Post Office Pension Scheme.

Trading Schemes Act 1996

James Heappey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which Government Department is responsible for enforcing The Trading Schemes Act 1996.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Trading Schemes Act 1996 amended Part XI (pyramid selling and similar trading schemes) of the Fair Trading Act 1973. The 1973 Act, as it now stands, does not confer an express enforcement duty on any particular body. The Department for Trade and Industry has previously led on enforcement of the 1973 Act, and its functions have now transferred to the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Hydrogen

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the whether hydrogen is a green, zero carbon fuel, if carbon capture utilisation and storage is utilised alongside it.

Chris Skidmore: The Government commissioned an assessment on the potential for low carbon hydrogen production with carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS). The assessment was conducted by the consultancies Element Energy and Jacobs.Their report identified that for steam methane reformation, the current dominant UK hydrogen production technology, carbon capture rates of up to 90% could be achieved. It also states that next generation methane reformation technologies and further innovation could deliver increased capture rates and lower costs. To prove this, we launched a £20 million Hydrogen Supply Programme which aims to accelerate the development of low carbon bulk hydrogen supply solutions; the programme will provide real world evidence on the potential for increased capture rates.In December 2018, we published the report ‘Clean growth: transforming heating’ which included a review of the evidence base on the potential carbon reductions if hydrogen produced from low carbon methods, including from natural gas combined with carbon capture utilisation and storage, is used to providing heating, including to homes, businesses and industry.

Biofuels

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support the UK biomass energy industry to be completely sustainable.

Chris Skidmore: The UK Government has introduced mandatory sustainability criteria for biomass for heat and power generation. These are some of the most stringent criteria in Europe.The sustainability criteria ensure biomass reduces carbon emissions and is sourced sustainably. The criteria include a minimum 60% lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions saving, compared to emissions from an EU fossil fuel comparator for electricity. The calculation requires transport, growing and processing emissions to be included. Generators only receive subsidies for the electricity output which complies with our sustainability criteria.We keep the sustainability criteria under review.

Hydrogen

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential carbon reductions if hydrogen combined with carbon capture utilisation and storage is used for the heat for homes sector.

Chris Skidmore: The Government commissioned an assessment on the potential for low carbon hydrogen production with carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS). The assessment was conducted by the consultancies Element Energy and Jacobs.Their report identified that for steam methane reformation, the current dominant UK hydrogen production technology, carbon capture rates of up to 90% could be achieved. It also states that next generation methane reformation technologies and further innovation could deliver increased capture rates and lower costs. To prove this, we launched a £20 million Hydrogen Supply Programme which aims to accelerate the development of low carbon bulk hydrogen supply solutions; the programme will provide real world evidence on the potential for increased capture rates.In December 2018, we published the report ‘Clean growth: transforming heating’ which included a review of the evidence base on the potential carbon reductions if hydrogen produced from low carbon methods, including from natural gas combined with carbon capture utilisation and storage, is used to providing heating, including to homes, businesses and industry.

Marketing: Unemployed People

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure job seekers are not targeted by multi-level marketing companies.

Kelly Tolhurst: There are existing provisions to protect job seekers contained within the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 (as amended). Under GDPR the processing of personal data is generally prohibited, unless it is expressly allowed by law or the data subject has consented to the processing. Consent must be freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous. Job seekers can therefore use these provisions to ensure their personal data is not being used inappropriately for purposes they have not consented to. Should anyone feel that their data has been misused under the provisions of GDPR they can contact the Information Commissioners Office. The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 (as amended) restrict an employment business or agency from using work seekers’ personal information and precludes them from sharing that information with multi-level marketing companies. The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate investigates complaints of an employment business or agency passing on personal information erroneously.

Cars: Manufacturing Industries

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with car manufacturers in the UK on creating a battery gigafactory to make the UK less dependent on essential materials which are currently sourced abroad.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government is in regular dialogue with car manufacturers in the UK on a range of opportunities to support the transition to zero emission vehicles and to new supply chains, including batteries.The UK is a highly attractive location for battery manufacturing. It is home to Europe’s first volume automotive battery production facility at Sunderland, owned by Envision AESC. In April 2019, the Advanced Propulsion Centre published a report showing the strength of the UK chemicals and materials supply chain for batteries, representing a £4.8bn a year supply chain opportunity by 2030.Through our Industrial Strategy and landmark Automotive Sector Deal, we are placing the UK at the forefront of new automotive technology development. The Sector Deal which was developed in partnership with the industry, working through the Automotive Council, includes a joint ambition to establish battery manufacturing a scale, a “gigafactory”, in the UK. Central to this, government has committed £274m to the Faraday Battery Challenge (FBC) to help businesses in the UK lead the world in the design, development and manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles.Under the FBC government has invested £108m in the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) which will open in 2020 and provide a state-of-the-art pilot facility to test new cell technology. UKBIC will play a key role in laying the groundwork to secure a battery gigafactory. It will do this by allowing collaborative R&D by UK cell manufacturers, battery pack assemblers and car makers to take place, proving out cell chemistries, formats and manufacturing processes at industrial rates.This is an essential step to allow UK companies to quickly develop their capabilities to manufacture batteries, scale up and get them to market.

Musicians: Intellectual Property

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2019 to Question 264735 on Musicians: Intellectual Property, what steps the Intellectual Property Office take to verify that an individual who claims the rights to a well-known band name is entitled to do so, prior to its registration under the Trade Marks Act 1994.

Chris Skidmore: As referenced in the answer to Question 264735, where an application is made to register a trade mark, the application is examined in accordance with the Trade Mark Act 1994 and Rules 2008. For trade mark applications that consist of the name of a well-known band, the examiner will consider the application based on the facts of the application before them and Section 3(6) of the Trade Marks Act 1994 will be considered. Section 3(6) of the Act states that a trade mark shall not be registered if or to the extent that the application has been made in bad faith. In addition to this, every trade mark application is published, before it is registered, for a three month opposition period. During this period, anyone can oppose the registration of a trade mark including where a third party believes that an application has been filed in bad faith - where, for example, facts not visible or apparent to the examiner are known by that third party. This opposition procedure provides a robust mechanism for all parties to submit detailed submissions and evidence.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Tobacco

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 08 May 2019 to Question 249959 on Tobacco, if his Department will establish a publicly accessible central record of contacts made between departmental officials and tobacco stakeholders; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Government takes seriously its obligations as a Party to the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The Department has no plans to establish a central record of meetings between officials and tobacco stakeholders or to publish such information. The Secretary of State does not intend to make a statement on this matter.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Overtime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the total amount of unpaid overtime worked by staff in his Department in the last 24 months.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not hold this information because we do not record total hours worked for any of our staff. This is managed by individual teams, particularly overseas.Wellbeing is a key priority in the FCO, and we recognise the importance of staff maintaining a good work life balance and not regularly working beyond their conditioned hours. Wellbeing Confident Leadership workshops have already been delviered to 67 per cent of our Senior Civil Servant and Senior Management Structure staff, with the remainder expected to complete the training by the end of the year.Where staff are consistently exceeding their conditioned hours, managers are expected to take steps to ensure that staff are not overstretched, and that they are not exceeding the limits set out in the 1998 Working Time Regulations. However, at times, staff may be asked to work above their conditioned hours to deliver priority work, and will be paid overtime in line with our overtime policies.

Burma: Internet

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for human rights in parts of Myanmar of a reported block on internet access in that country.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The UK is deeply concerned by the shutdown of mobile data services to eight townships in Rakhine and one in neighbouring Chin state. We are particularly concerned that the shutdown has taken place in parts of Rakhine where there are already significant restrictions on international access. We are clear that denying access to mobile data services restricts the right to freedom of expression and the ability to share reports of human rights violations. Embassy officials have raised our concerns with the Myanmar government. We continue to monitor the situation closely and urge the Myanmar government to restore mobile internet access to the affected townships.

Republic of Ireland: Brexit

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the 8 July 2019 Irish Times article entitled Dublin and Berlin move closer as Brexit barney continues, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Irish Government on the comments on the UK reportedly made by the Irish President In Germany on 3 July 2019.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The United Kingdom and Ireland enjoy a unique bilateral relationship with strong Ministerial level contact which takes place at all levels of government and across all policy areas including at Prime Minister/Taoiseach and Foreign Secretary levels. Both the United Kingdom and Ireland recently reaffirmed their commitment to ensure that the current high level of bilateral cooperation is maintained and strengthened following the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union. We will continue to use this level of cooperation to work on areas of collaboration and discuss topics where we may disagree. The Foreign Secretary has not discussed with his Irish counterpart the President's visit to Germany.

Jamaica: LGBT People

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage his Jamaican counterpart to promote LGBTQ+ rights in Jamaica.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The defence of human rights, including LGBTQ+ is a key part of our foreign policy. Sexual acts between men remain illegal in Jamaica and there are wider issues of discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community there. We are working with the Government of Jamaica and with LGBTQ+ organisations in the country, as well as others with an interest such as Church Groups and human rights organisations, to support equality of treatment for all and to raise awareness of particular issues that the LGBTQ+ community face. We welcome the commitment of Prime Minister Holness, including at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London, that Jamaica should protect the human rights of every citizen regardless of sexual orientation or inclination.

Syria: Demilitarized and Neutral Zones

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to (a) monitor the demilitarised zone in Idlib and (b) ensure that civilians, rescue workers, and medics are effectively protected.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The UK is gravely concerned by the situation in Idlib, which we are closely monitoring, in coordination with our international partners and relevant UN bodies.We have repeatedly called on all parties to end the violence, return to the ceasefire agreed in September 2018, and abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law, including at three emergency sessions of the UN Security Council. The Prime Minister raised the urgent need to restore the ceasefire in Idlib with President Putin and President Erdogan at the G20 Summit on 28-29 June.UK aid continues to support the protection of civilians in Idlib, where DFID partners are working to support health facilities and establish mobile emergency protection teams. We also support an innovative new technology to provide early warning of airstrikes through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund.

Mohammed al-Roken

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Emirati counterpart on the political prisoner Mohammed al-Roken.

Dr Andrew Murrison: ​ The UK has a strong history of protecting human rights and promoting our values globally. The depth and breadth of our relationship with the United Arab Emirates means we can express concerns on a range of issues in a frank and open way at all levels, and regularly raise human rights issues. We have not made specific representations about Mr al-Roken.

Attorney General

Prosecutions

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Attorney General, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect on the effectiveness of prosecution authorities of the UK leaving the EU (a) with and (b) without a deal.

Lucy Frazer: The UK and EU agree that we need a comprehensive future security partnership that covers key areas of internal security cooperation. We have agreed the outline terms of a comprehensive future security relationship including law enforcement, criminal justice, and judicial cooperation.In a no deal scenario, we would move co-operation to alternative, non-EU mechanisms. Broadly speaking, this would mean making more use of Interpol, Council of Europe Conventions, and other forms of co-operation with European partners, such as bilateral channels. Together the Attorney General’s Office, Crown Prosecution Service and Serious Fraud Office are working closely with the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Police, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and Judiciary to ensure that we have plans in place in event of a ‘no deal’.

Department of Health and Social Care

Birds: Slaughterhouses

George Eustice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many orders to stop or suspend the operation of a production or shackle line because birds were showing signs of consciousness before entering the next stage of production were issued by official veterinarians to slaughterhouses in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Seema Kennedy: There have been no orders or formal enforcement actions to stop or suspend the operation of a production or shackle line because birds were showing signs of consciousness before entering the next stage of production.Due to the automated nature of poultry production, any stoppages of the line may result in an adverse effect on the welfare of the animals within the shackle line before and after the stage of stunning.Incidents involving an individual bird would generally be resolved by dealing with the bird while still in the moving line or by removing the individual bird.Incidents involving a more systemic failure of the stunning system which may require a suspension of the operation will generally be resolved without the service of a formal notice due to the urgent nature of the action required.

Public Health: Finance

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that public health funding is increased as part of the Government’s spending review.

Seema Kennedy: Future funding for local authorities’ public health responsibilities will be considered carefully in the next spending review, taking full account of the available evidence.

Food: Hygiene

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to bring forward legislative proposals on the mandatory display of food hygiene ratings in England.

Seema Kennedy: The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is operated by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in partnership with local authorities across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Food businesses covered by the scheme are provided with stickers showing their rating. Those in Wales and Northern Ireland are already required by law to display the stickers at their premises, while those in England are encouraged to do so. The FSA considers that mandatory display should extend to England and is finalising an evidence-based case for a statutory scheme which will be submitted for ministerial consideration and ultimately cross-Government approval.

Lighting: Health Hazards

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of LED streetlights on public health.

Seema Kennedy: The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation publishes exposure limit values for public exposure to the optical radiation from LEDs. Further information is available at the following link:www.icnirp.orgPublic Health England assessed a range of street lights and did not identify levels of exposure likely to cause harm to public health. These assessments can be viewed at the following link:https://www.cibse.org/knowledge/knowledge-items/detail?id=a0q20000008I6z6

Naloxone: County Durham

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) accessibility and (b) provision of take-home naloxone in County Durham to help reduce drug-related deaths.

Seema Kennedy: Local authorities are responsible for assessing local needs and commissioning drug prevention, treatment and harm reduction services to meet these needs. This includes making sure they have sufficient coverage of take-home naloxone to prevent drug-related deaths.Durham Public Health funds take-home naloxone for vulnerable service users, and their carers, in hostels and in police custody suites. Naloxone is also available in prison and on prison release.The Government is encouraging and supporting local areas to increase the accessibility and expand the provision of naloxone with guidance, advice and tools.

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the correlation between reductions to public health funding and increases in rates of syphilis and gonorrhoea.

Seema Kennedy: We estimate that increases in rates of syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia are due to a number of factors. These include increases in both the number of people attending sexual health services and the number of tests for sexually transmitted infections. Public Health England has advised that other factors include, better detection of infection and behavioural changes such as an increase in partner numbers and condomless sex, as well as, for some men who have sex with men, ‘chemsex’ and group sex facilitated by geosocial networking applications. Local authorities will receive £3.1 billion in 2019/20, ring-fenced exclusively for use on public health, including sexual health. We are investing over £16 billion in local authority public health services over the five years of the 2015 Spending Review until 2020/21. It is for individual local authorities to decide their spending priorities based on an assessment of local need, including the need for sexual health services taking account of their statutory duties. Local authorities are required by regulations to provide comprehensive open access sexual health services, including provision for sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment and contraception. The latest statistics show that more people are now accessing sexual health services. Attendances have increased by 7% between 2017 and 2018 (from 3,337,677 to 3,561,548). This continues the trend of increases in attendances seen over the past five years. To help manage the overall increase in demand, local authorities are increasingly commissioning online services to manage lower risk and asymptomatic patients. These services have the potential to reach groups not currently engaged with clinic services.

Preventive Medicine: Finance

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Green Paper on Prevention will include and assessment of the level of funding required to implement the contents of that Green Paper.

Seema Kennedy: We are considering a number of policy options for the Prevention Green Paper and will be mindful of the level of funding that may be required for their implementation.

Genito-urinary Medicine and HIV Infection

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Prevention Green Paper will include (a) commitments on additional resources to tackle HIV and (b) targets to improve sexual health.

Seema Kennedy: We are considering a range of policy options for the Green Paper and will be mindful of HIV and sexual health.

Prisoners: Depressive Illnesses

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2019 to Question 272160 on Prisoners: Depressive Illnesses, if he will make it his policy to centrally record that data.

Jackie Doyle-Price: There are no plans to record this data centrally.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) amount of revenue raised and (b) effect on public health of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy.

Seema Kennedy: Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has records of the amount of revenue raised through the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL).The SDIL was introduced in April 2018 with money to the public purse accruing from this date. Monthly and annual receipts from SDIL are published in HMRC’s National Statistics publication, which can be accessed via the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmrc-tax-and-nics-receipts-for-the-ukPublic Health England has not made an assessment of the effect of the SDIL on public health. The National Diet and Nutrition Survey is used to monitor trends in consumption of sugary soft drinks and in sugar intakes. Data covering the period when the SDIL was introduced will become available in 2020. However, the survey cannot attribute changes in consumption to individual policies.

Physician Associates: Regulation

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on plans to introduce legislative proposals on the statutory regulation for physician associates.

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to announce a decision on whether the (a) General Medical Council or (b)  Health and Care Professions Council will be responsible for the regulation of Physician Associates.

Stephen Hammond: On 7 February 2019 the Government published its response to the consultation on the Regulation of Medical Associate Professions in the United Kingdom, confirming the decision to introducing statutory regulation for physician associates and anaesthesia associates (formerly known as physicians’ assistants (anaesthesia)).Officials have been working with the devolved administrations to establish which regulatory body should regulate these roles as the regulation of new professions is devolved to Scotland and is a transferred matter in respect of Northern Ireland. We expect to announce the decision shortly.Once the regulator has been announced, the Government will work with relevant stakeholders to develop the required legislation. Bringing non-regulated healthcare professions into statutory regulation is typically done using Section 60 of the Health Act 1999 and is subject to Parliamentary time.

NHS: Pensions

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the proportion of staff in an NHS pension scheme that have received their pension statement on time in each of the last two years.

Stephen Hammond: In accordance with the Public Service Pension Act 2013, the NHS Business Services Authority must provide an Annual Benefit Statement (ABS) within five months of the end of a Scheme year. An ABS the build-up of a member’s scheme benefits to the end of the last scheme year, any dependent/survivor benefits and any monies to be deducted from benefits.In order to distribute an ABS on time, the NHS Business Services Authority relies on receiving accurate and timely information from employers.For the scheme year 2016/17, 2,200,875 statements were made available to members. For scheme year 2017/18, 2,275,125 statements were made available to members. Statements are made available to all active and deferred members. Information is not available regarding the proportion that were made available within five months of the end of each scheme year.

NHS: Pensions

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations his Department has made to Capita on the provision of pension statements to staff in NHS pension schemes in the last 12 months.

Stephen Hammond: The Department has made no representations to Capita regarding their administration of general practitioner (GP) pensions in the NHS Pension Scheme. The responsibility for managing the administration of GP pensions is held by NHS England, who have a contract with Capita to provide this service.NHS England is aware that improvements are needed to Capita’s administration of GP pensions, and is committed to ensuring these are delivered. A full review of processes is currently being undertaken, where NHS England is working with the NHS Business Services Authority, Primary Care Support England and stakeholder groups such as the British Medical Association to improve processes across specific areas.Action plans and revised processes have been developed following this review, and communications have been send to GPs, clinical commissioning groups and GP practice management to ensure that new processes are followed to improve the member experience and reduce inefficiency.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Human Rights

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans he has to ensure that human rights are prioritized within his Department's approach to achieving the (a) SDGs and (b) other development outcomes.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK is committed to respecting, promoting and protecting universal human rights. Respect for human rights is important in itself and for achieving stable, inclusive and prosperous societies. Human rights underpin freedom, democracy and rule of law and form the basis of the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are at the heart of the UK Aid Strategy and the Department’s new Single Departmental Plan which guide DFID’s strategic decision-making. The UK continues to be a strong advocate for Goal 16 on inclusive, peaceful societies, widely acknowledged as an enabler for all the other Sustainable Development Goals and for the protection and promotion of human rights. DFID programmes support human rights across a range of areas such as health, education, peace and security as well as through our support for inclusive and accountable governance. DFID puts the rights of women and girls at the centre of our development efforts through the 2018 Strategic Vision for Gender Equality. We support southern grassroots organisations to protect girls from issues like female genital mutilation and enforced child marriage and DFID’s support to the Jo Cox Memorial Grants includes a specific tranche to build civil society’s capacity to predict identity-based violence.

Developing Countries: Human Rights

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department’s support to human rights defenders on the ground; and what plans he has to increase that support.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID works closely with the FCO on safeguarding of Human Rights Defenders. Support on the ground includes lobbying and programming for safe and open spaces for civil society and human rights defenders to operate. Officials monitor programme outcomes and regularly consult with civil society and directly with Human Rights Defenders to improve our response. DFID’s Governance for Growth, Stability and Inclusive Development paper, published in March, set a refreshed strategic direction for our work on governance, with a renewed focus on protecting democratic space, where this is under threat, and supporting the rule of law and civic freedoms. A new programme, led by a UK human rights organisation, Article 19, will pilot responses to shrinking civic space and pressure on independent media and civil society. This month, the FCO published a new document, ‘UK support for Human Rights Defenders’, which reflects the importance of human rights defenders and the support the UK provides to them through its network of embassies and high commissions. Human Rights Defenders and civil society organisations were consulted on the document prior to its publication.

Developing Countries: Human Rights

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps he will take to ensure that, in line with the UN Statement of Common Understanding, a human-rights based approach is integrated within his Department's development co-operation and programming.

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps he will take to further integrate human rights considerations into his Department's country-level programming, particularly in human rights priority countries.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK is committed to respecting, promoting and protecting universal human rights. Respect for human rights is important in itself and for achieving stable, inclusive and prosperous societies. Human rights underpin freedom, democracy and rule of law and form the basis of the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are at the heart of the UK Aid Strategy and the Department’s new Single Departmental Plan which guide DFID’s strategic decision-making. DFID country offices’ planning processes take account of interdisciplinary analysis, including a country’s progress toward achieving the SDGs, and our aid relationships involve consideration of partner governments’ commitment to human rights. DFID carries out, and regularly reviews, programme risk assessments, including the risks of unintended harm to people and to the environment, and our Supply Partner Code of Conduct sets high, legally enforceable standards for ethical behaviour and compliance with human rights by our suppliers in the delivery of DFID contracts. DFID’s position paper, Governance for Growth, Stability and Inclusive Development, published in March, set a refreshed strategic direction for DFID’s work on governance, including a renewed focus on protecting democratic space, where this is under threat, and supporting the rule of law and civic freedoms. It is a key reference document for future planning.

Developing Countries: Human Rights

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans he has to ensure that his Department's strategic decision-making is explicitly guided by human rights principles and instruments.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK is committed to respecting, promoting and protecting universal human rights. Respect for human rights is important in itself and for achieving stable, inclusive and prosperous societies. Human rights underpin freedom, democracy and rule of law and form the basis of the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are at the heart of the UK Aid Strategy and the Department’s new Single Departmental Plan which guide DFID’s strategic decision-making.

Developing Countries: Third Sector

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if he will take steps to make funding more accessible to civil society organisations in his Department's partner countries.

Harriett Baldwin: In financial year 2016-17, DFID spent £1.3 billion funding the work of civil society. DFID provides assistance to strengthen civil society in the UK and overseas through capacity building support and funding opportunities. This assistance is delivered through our centrally-managed programmes and our country programmes. DFID is acting to increase support to CSOs based in developing countries. We are broadening out some of our centrally-managed programmes to accept bids from Southern-based CSOs. This includes UK Aid Direct, DFID’s centrally-managed programme for small and medium civil society organisations. The most recent UK Aid Direct funding round was fully open to bids from Southern-based CSOs for the first time. In addition, through UK Aid Connect we are funding programmes specifically targeted at enhancing civil society effectiveness in the UK and overseas.

Department for International Development: Overtime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate he has made of the amount of unpaid overtime worked by staff in his Department in the last 24 months.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID complies with the requirements of The Working Time Regulations 1998 and supports staff wellbeing by encouraging people to work regular hours and ensures managers work with them to reprioritise work and avoid overtime. Overtime is used as a last resort to help deal with exceptional or seasonal pressures of work.

South Africa: Droughts

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support his Department is providing to farmers in Bultfontein, South Africa, who are facing eviction due to droughts.

Harriett Baldwin: The Department for International Development’s bilateral programme in South Africa ended in 2015, and no wider British government resources are spent to support farmers in Bultfontein specifically. DFID does however seek to improve climate resilience throughout South and Southern Africa through regional water management programmes that assist in ensuring water resources are managed effectively.In addition, DFID’s support to multilateral institutions such as the World Bank, and development assistance spent through International Climate Finance and the Newton Fund, supports resilience building to prepare for, and manage, the effects of extreme weather events.

Rain Forests: Conservation

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to protect (a) primary rainforests and (b) the species that live in them.

Harriett Baldwin: Stopping deforestation is essential to protect biodiversity, tackle climate change and promote sustainable economic development. DFID works to address the underlying causes of deforestation, such as stopping illegal logging and related corruption, and ending unsustainable practices in the production of palm oil, cocoa and other agricultural commodities. This helps to protect habitats for the species that live in forests.Work to tackle deforestation is funded through the Forest Governance, Markets and Climate programme (£250m, 2011-21), which is tackling illegal logging and promoting trade in legal timber; Investments in Forests and Sustainable Land Use (£107m, 2015-23), which works with companies to develop new and sustainable approaches to growing agricultural commodities, which protect forests and provide sustainable livelihoods; and through the Indonesia country programme.The Global Environment Facility (GEF), to which the UK is a major donor, also plays a major role in protecting species which live in tropical rainforests. For example, in June the GEF approved $88 million of funding to the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Programme and $57 million of funding to the Congo Basin Sustainable Landscapes Impact Programme to protect rainforests and the species that live in them.

Department for Education

Department for Education: Overtime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the amount of unpaid overtime worked by staff in his Department in the last 24 months.

Anne Milton: Regarding the records of unpaid overtime for staff working in the department or its executive agencies, the information requested is not held centrally.The department is committed to the wellbeing of its staff, and discourages long working hours to make sure that staff are able to maintain their work/life balance. Managers have responsibility for making sure that their staff do not work excessive hours.

Adult Education: East Midlands

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to promote the benefits of adult learning in the East Midlands.

Anne Milton: We are developing a skills system that can drive improvements in social mobility and are doing this by implementing key skills reforms, which although are national policies, will benefit people in all areas and from all backgrounds.The National Careers Service offers free careers information, advice and guidance to both young people and adults through a website and telephone helpline. Adults are also supported through the local community based service where face to face guidance is available.The Adult Education Budget is used to engage adults, including those furthest from learning and the workplace, to provide them with the skills and learning they need to equip them for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. It enables more tailored programmes of learning to be made available, which do not need to include a qualification.Apprenticeships are accessible to people of all ages, and training can be delivered flexibly to meet the needs of people with children returning to part-time work or those needing to re-train. We are making apprenticeships longer and better, with more off-the job training and proper assessment at the end. New apprenticeship standards across all levels are being designed and driven by industry, which is creating higher quality training that will lead to a more skilled and productive economy. The new apprenticeships campaign, Fire It Up, was launched in January 2019. This campaign is working to increase the number of high quality apprenticeships offered and started, by changing the way people think about apprenticeships, demonstrating that they are an aspirational choice for anyone with passion and energy.We are developing a National Retraining Scheme, which will help prepare adults for the future changes to the economy, including those brought about by automation, and help them to retrain into better jobs. The scheme is being developed and rolled out in stages so that we can learn and adapt to users’ needs as we go. Learning from the career learning pilots, the Construction Skills Fund and the Adult Learning Technology Innovation Fund will inform how we can better engage adults about the opportunities and benefits of training.We have been working with all local enterprise partnerships in the East Midlands to ensure that Skills Advisory Panels (SAPs) are established by October 2019. SAPs aim to bring together local employers and skills providers, including colleges, independent training providers and universities, to pool knowledge on skills and labour market needs and to work together to understand and address key local challenges, including helping to tackle local skills shortages. SAPs will help address both immediate needs and challenges and look at what is required to help local areas adapt to future labour market changes and to grasp future opportunities. This will help universities, colleges and other providers deliver the skills required by employers, now and in the future.

Pupils: Assessments

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of undertaking baseline assessments in each financial year from 2019-20 to 2023-24.

Nick Gibb: ​The estimated spend on the reception baseline assessment (RBA) for the financial years 2019-20 to 2023-24 is as follows:2019-20£2.9 million2020-21£3.6 million2021-22£3.4 million2022-23£430,0002023-24£430,000 ​These figures include the estimated spend for both the National Foundation for Educational Research RBA assessment and current development plans for the RBA for 2022-24.

Academies

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will provide (a) a list of maintained schools that have been the subject of directive academy orders resulting in them becoming sponsored academies, (b) the date of those orders, (c) the names of the trusts which the schools joined on becoming sponsored academies and the dates of transfer and (d) the names of any trusts which they were subsequently transferred to as a result of rebrokering by his Department and the date of those transfers.

Nadhim Zahawi: As at 1 July 2019, there have been 385 maintained schools that have been issued an academy order following an inadequate Ofsted judgement that has resulted in them opening as a sponsored academy. The list of these sponsored academies, the dates of their academy orders, the dates they opened as sponsored academies and the name of the academy trust that they joined can be found in the attached table. Of these 385 sponsored academies, only St Edward’s Catholic Academy has subsequently transferred trust. This occurred on 1 September 2018. 



274554_Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 128 KB)

Apprentices: Film

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the amount of apprenticeship levy money that was (a) paid by and (b) spent on apprenticeships by screen industry companies in financial year 2018-19.

Anne Milton: The apprenticeship levy is collected by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) from employers with a pay bill in excess of £3 million per year. HMRC does not collect data which allows levy collection to be broken down by sector. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) does not require levy-paying employers to register a sector when they set up an online apprenticeship service account to manage their funds. Therefore, ESFA are unable to supply information on the sectoral distribution of spending on apprenticeships in the format requested.

Classroom Assistants: Average Earnings

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2017 to Question 8320 on Classroom Assistants: Average Earnings, if he will publish that salary data for (a) 2017 and (b) 2018.

Nick Gibb: The following table shows the average salary for all full-time general teaching assistants, higher level teaching assistants and all teaching assistants in local authority maintained schools, academy schools and free schools in England, as at November 2017 and 2018. Full-time General Teaching AssistantsFull-time Higher Level Teaching AssistantsFull-time All Teaching Assistants2017   Local Authority Maintained Schools£19,396£22,911£19,812Academies£19,020£22,019£19,282Free Schools£17,502£20,319£17,659All Schools£19,160£22,542£19,5082018   Local Authority Maintained Schools£19,645£23,362£20,094Academies£19,390£22,407£19,663Free Schools£17,942£20,341£18,102All Schools£19,457£22,917£19,820Source: School Workforce Census

Care Leavers: Housing

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities house care leavers in an area close to their foster parents, should both parties wish, even if the foster placement was facilitated by another local authority and do not meet the residential time limit qualification.

Nadhim Zahawi: When young people leave their care placement, the local authority has a duty to ensure that their new home is suitable for their needs and is linked to their wider plans and aspirations (for example, if a young person wishes to live near their former foster parent).Local authority children’s services need to work with housing authorities and other partners to secure a range of suitable housing and support options for young people leaving care. Partners should aim to ensure the effective use of joint resources for planning and commissioning accommodation and support services for young people, including care leavers.Supporting care leavers to stay with their former foster parents (‘Staying Put’ arrangements) will allow them to leave stable and secure homes when they are ready and able to make the transition to independence. The Staying Put duty introduced in May 2014 requires local authorities to support young people to stay with their former foster parents up to the age of 21, if the young person and their foster parents want the arrangement to continue. Local authorities should assess whether such an arrangement would meet the needs of the young person once they reach the age of 18 and that it would be consistent with their welfare. Staying Put has helped many care leavers to continue to benefit from a stable and secure family setting and to prepare for independence at a more gradual pace, rather than facing a ‘cliff-edge’ at age 18.Since its introduction, the department has provided over £90 million in funding to local authorities to implement Staying Put and is providing a further £23.77 million in 2019-20. The latest data (for the year ending March 2018) showed that 55% of 18 year olds chose to stay with their foster parents, which is an increase of 4% on 2017. The data also show that 31% of 19 year olds and 21% of 20 year olds were still living with their former foster parents.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners' Release

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the sharing of information between the two Departments to inform decisions on recall following breach of licence conditions.

Robert Buckland: Probation services supervise offenders on licence and, if offenders breach their conditions, the Offender Manager will assess their level of risk and, if the conclusion is that the offender cannot be safely managed in the community, will recall the offender to prison. Officials in the Public Protection Casework Section in HM Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS) will then formally revoke the offender’s licence. Public protection is our priority. HMPPS engagement about information sharing is primarily with the Police as it is the Chief Constable of each police force who is responsible for operational policing decisions. Police officers will sometimes receive or obtain information about an offender on licence which is relevant for the purposes of determining whether the offender has breached his licence conditions. I have asked my officials to work with the Police to ensure that police officers have a sound understanding of the system of licensed supervision and of the importance of sharing information with probation services as soon as possible whenever an offender on licence comes to their attention.

Prisons: Contracts

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2019 to Question 263187 on Prisons: Contracts, what estimate he has made of the cost of the (a) staffing and (b) external advice required to (i) develop and (ii) run the prison operator competition.

Robert Buckland: The Prison Operator Framework Competition will increase the diversity and resilience of the custodial services market in England and Wales, by creating a pool of prison operators who can provide high quality, value for money, custodial and maintenance services and enable us to effectively and efficiently manage a pipeline of competition over the next six years. The estimated projected cost to run the Prison Operator Services Framework Competition and mini-competition for Wellingborough (including costs to date) of £5.5m is estimated to be £2.4m for external support and £3.1m for internal staffing. Estimated costs relating to the development of the competition were minimal and cannot be disaggregated from other costs incurred at that time.

Reoffenders

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of exposure to prison violence on re-offending rates.

Robert Buckland: We know that the evidence suggests that if prisoners feel safe and supported they are more likely to have the time and headspace to take positive steps to address the causes of their offending. In addition, we know that access to rehabilitative services such as purposeful activity is an important protective factor for preventing violence and self-harm. This is why are taking urgent action to improve prison safety and security, alongside reforms to overhaul the system to focus on the rehabilitation of offenders. We are tackling the supply and demand of drugs, drones and phones, which drive prison violence and undermine safety.

Prison Officers

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of prison officers in post was in each of the prisons in the 10 Prisons Project in (a) the last six months of 2017 and (b) the last six months of 2018.

Robert Buckland: The Government is taking unprecedented action to improve safety in prisons, including recruiting over 4700 officers since October 2016, and investing an extra £70 million to improve safety, security and decency. As a result, we have 1,500 more prison officers in post than this time last year. The table below provides figures for the average number of prison officers in post in the each of the prisons from the 10 Prisons Project between July and December 2017, and July and December 2018. Table 1: Average1 number of band 3-5 prison officers2 in post in each of the prisons in the 10 Prisons Project Full Time Equivalent Average number of Prison officers in post Between July and December 2017Between July and December 2018Hull260304Humber236277Isis135204Leeds273311Lindholme219238Moorland222261Nottingham292285Ranby222253Wealstun195221Wormwood Scrubs2273161. Average of monthly snapshots, taken at the end of the month.2. Includes Band 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officer and Band 5 / Custodial Managers. These prisons are also part of the 10 Prisons Project, which aims to reduce violence in 10 of our most challenging prisons by reducing the supply of drugs; restoring basic decency and providing the training and support for prison officers to challenge the behaviour that drives violence. The project received an initial £10 million funding to improve security and decency, and bolster leadership capability over a 12-month period.

Prisons: Security

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total additional capital spend was on physical security in each of the prisons in the 10 Prisons Project in (a) the last six months of 2017 and (b) the last six months of 2018.

Robert Buckland: The 10 Prisons Project was launched in August 2018 with an aim to reduce violence in 10 of our most challenging prisons by reducing the supply of drugs; restoring basic decency and providing the training and support for prison officers to challenge the behaviour that drives violence. The project received an initial £10 million funding to improve security and decency, and bolster leadership capability over a 12-month period. As capital expenditure is usually accounted for in the last quarter of the financial year, we have provided figures for capital spend1 on physical security in the last six months of both the 17/18 and 18/19 financial years (table a) and the 2017 and 2018 calendar years (table b). Table a - Last 6 months of the financial year (Oct-Mar):Spend (£k)  2017/18  2018/19 Hull0161Humber11433Isis0508Leeds0372Lindholme0257Moorland0482Nottingham0434Ranby0503Wealstun0210Wormwood Scrubs108396Total119 3,756  Table B - Last 6 months of the calendar year (Jul-Dec)Spend (£k) 20172018Hull00Humber00Isis00Leeds00Lindholme00Moorland00Nottingham00Ranby00Wealstun00Wormwood Scrubs00Total00 1Figures exclude resource expenditure.

Reoffenders

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders in each Police Force Area were convicted but not sentenced to immediate custody who had (a) 26 to 50 previous convictions, (b) 51 to 75 previous convictions, (c) 76 to 100 previous convictions and (d) over 100 previous convictions in each year since 2007.

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders in each Police Force area who were convicted but not sentenced to immediate custody had (a) 26 to 50 previous convictions or cautions, (b) 51 to 75 previous convictions or cautions, (c) 76 to 100 previous convictions or cautions and (d) over 100 previous convictions or cautions, in each year since 2007.

Robert Buckland: The information requested is provided in the tables attached with this answer. These tables include data, covering the period 2007 – 2018, on:The number of offenders in each Police Force Area with a specified number of previous convictions who were convicted but not sentenced to immediate custody.The number of offenders in each Police Force area with a specified number of previous convictions and cautions who were convicted but not sentenced to immediate custody. We know that some prolific offending can be driven by a variety of factors, including drug addiction and poor mental health. The Ministry of Justice has also published experimental statistics at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/756282/prolific-offenders-experimental-statistics.pdf which show that theft and summary non-motoring offences are the offences most likely to have been committed by prolific offenders.

Sentencing

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average sentence length in months was for people who received an immediate custodial sentence and had (a) zero, (b) between one and four, (c) between five and nine, (d) between 10 and 15, (e) between 16 and 25, (f) between 26 and 50, (g) between 51 and 75, (h) between 76 and 100 and (i) 101 or more previous convictions in each year since 2007.

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average sentence length was in months for people who received an immediate custodial sentence and who had (a) no, (b) between one and four, (c) between five and nine, (d) between 10 and 15, (e) between 16 and 25, (f) between 26 and 50, (g) between 51 and 75, (h) between 76 and 100 and (i) 101 or more previous convictions, and who were convicted of (i) violence against the person (ii) theft, (iii) drug offences, (iv) robbery, (v) common assault and battery, (vi) burglary in a dwelling, (vi) production, supply and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug - Class A, (vii) possession of article with blade or point and (viii) assaulting, resisting or obstructing a constable or designated officer in execution of duty over the last 10 years.

Robert Buckland: The information requested is provided in the tables attached with this answer. These tables include data on:The average custodial sentence length of offenders with a specified number of previous convictions who were sentenced to immediate custody, covering the period 2007 – 2018.The average custodial sentence length of offenders with a specified number of previous convictions who were convicted of a specified offence and sentenced to immediate custody, covering the period 2009 - 2018. We know that some prolific offending can be driven by a variety of factors, including drug addiction and poor mental health. The Ministry of Justice has also published experimental statistics at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/756282/prolific-offenders-experimental-statistics.pdf which show that theft and summary non-motoring offences are the offences most likely to have been committed by prolific offenders.

Ministry of Justice: Overtime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the amount of unpaid overtime worked by staff in his Department in the last 24 months.

Robert Buckland: There has been no estimate made of the unpaid overtime worked by staff. To calculate the actual amount claimed as overtime across the service would mean requesting our contracted Shared Service provider to interrogate the SOP payroll/accounting system for payments made in every establishment and HQ building under the overtime cost code, which can only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Offenders: Females

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to (a) disseminate and (b) monitor the implementation of the police guidance entitled Managing vulnerability: women, fact pack.

Edward Argar: In June 2018, the Government published its Female Offender Strategy which set out the vision to see fewer women coming into the criminal justice system, a greater proportion managed successfully in the community, and better conditions for those in custody. To support these aims, the Government, together with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), also published guidance for the police on working with vulnerable women. The NPCC shared the police guidance with chief officers, for dissemination within their forces and the APCC have circulated the guidance to all Police and Crime Commissioners. The MoJ will work with the APCC and NPCC to evaluate the impact of the guidance and consider any next steps.

Law Centres

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the number of law centres in each local authority area since 2010.

Paul Maynard: Not all Local Authorities have a Law Centre within their boundaries for a number of reasons. The LAA commissions services on a ‘Procurement Area’ basis. Procurement Areas align to one or a number of combined local authority areas and have been developed based on various local factors. Not all Procurement Areas can be compared on a like-for-like basis. Individuals are not limited to accessing legal advice providers in the Procurement Area where they live and may access services from providers located in neighbouring local authorities, or at other contracted legal advice providers located locally. The table below shows a list of those local authorities in which the LAA has been able to identify an LAA contracted Law Centre office in each financial year since 2010/11. The figures in the LAA’s data may not give the full picture of coverage. There are a number areas where law centres may have chosen to consolidate offices but continue to deliver larger volumes of work across a whole procurement area. Count of Law Centre offices in Local Authority2010/112011/122012/132013/142015/162016/172014/152017/182018/192019/20 as at Jul19Allerdale1110000000Amber Valley1111111110Basildon1110000000Bedford1111111110Bexley1111100000Birmingham1000111111Bolsover0001111110Bradford1113222221Braintree1110000000Brent1112222221Bury1112211111Caerdydd/Cardiff1111110000Calderdale1111111110Camden1112211111Carlisle1111111111Castle Point1110000000Chelmsford1110000000Cheltenham1001000000Chesterfield1112222221City of Bristol1113111111City of Derby1111100000City of Leicester0000000000City of Nottingham1113333331City of Plymouth1000000000City of Westminster2222222221Colchester1111000000Copeland1110000000Coventry1116655551Croydon1111111111Ealing0001111111Epsom and Ewell1111101100Erewash1100000000Gateshead0000000000Gloucester1113311111Greenwich2222210000Hackney1111111111Halton0000000011Hammersmith and Fulham1111111111Haringey1112222221Harlow0000000011Harrow1111111111High Peak1111111110Hillingdon1111111111Hounslow1000000000Ipswich0000000011Isle of Wight1111000001Islington1111111111Kensington and Chelsea1111111111Kingston upon Thames1111111111Kirklees2223222222Lambeth1111111111Leeds1111000000Lewisham0000000011Liverpool2222222222Luton1112222221Maldon1110000000Manchester2113300011Merton1111111111Newcastle upon Tyne1110000011North East Derbyshire0001111110Oldham1111111110Rochdale1111111111Rochford1110000000Sheffield2227769332Southend-on-Sea1110000000Southwark1112222221St. Helens0000000011Stockport0000000000Sunderland0000000011Sutton1111111111Swindon1112211111Tendring1110000000Tower Hamlets2222222111Trafford1111111100Wakefield0002211110Walsall1113000000Waltham Forest0001100000Wandsworth3332222222Warrington1110000000Warwick1111111110Grand Total75706994846870636947 The Legal Aid Agency keeps availability of legal support under constant review and takes urgent action whenever it has concerns. We spent £1.6 billion on legal aid last year and in addition to the Civil Legal Advice Telephone service, we are investing £5m in innovative technologies to help people access legal support wherever they are.

Sentencing: Children

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what statistics his Department holds on trends in the proportion of people who receive a custodial sentence as a child and then go on to receive a custodial sentence as an adult in each year since 2010.

Edward Argar: The proportion of adult offenders given a custodial sentence who had previously received a custodial sentence as a child (2010 to 2018) can be viewed in the table below:Proportion of adult1 offenders given a custodial sentence2 who had previously received a custodial sentence as a child3, England and Wales4, 2010 to 2018 YearPercentage 201016 201116 201217 201316 201416 201515 201615 201715 201815 Source: Ministry of Justice extract of the Police National Computer  Notes: 1 - Aged 18 or over at time of sentence 2 - Immediate custody or suspended sentence for adults, immediate custody only for children (as suspended sentences are not available for under-18s) 3 - Aged between 10 and 17 4 - England and Wales includes all 43 police force areas plus the British Transport Police The Government is clear that reoffending rates among children in the criminal justice system are too high. That is why we are working to reform youth custodial provision through the development of secure schools, a new type of secure provision for children, and delivering a wide-ranging change programme in existing youth custody sites including workforce reform, infrastructure changes and a new approach to behaviour management and education and healthcare delivery. Alongside this we are driving forward reform of the criminal records regime, considering how we can improve youth sentencing and working to explain or address disproportionality across the youth justice system.

Prisons: Staff

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total number of days of detached duty worked was in each of the prisons in the 10 Prisons Project in (a) the last six months of 2017 and (b) the last six months of 2018.

Robert Buckland: Detached Duty (DD) is one of the sensible and proportionate measures we take to ensure we run safe and decent regimes in prisons and respond appropriately to any operational issues that arise. The deployment of staff between prisons on DD is a regular and normal part of prison resourcing; the number of Prison Officers deployed on DD varies from one week to the next in order to reflect operational circumstances. Detached Duty is allocated on a cycle (4 week average) rather than on a month by month (or day by day) basis. The prisons in the 10 Prisons Project are: Hull, Humber, Isis, Leeds, Lindholme, Moorland, Nottingham, Ranby, Wealtsun, Wormwood Scrubs. Of these, only Isis (total of 26 weeks) and Nottingham (total of 5 weeks) received Detached Duty support in the last six months of 2017. Annex A shows the number of staff deployed at HMPs Isis and Nottingham, each week, in the last six months of 2017. There was no Detached Duty deployment at any prison in the 10 Prisons Project in the last six months of 2018.



Annex A
(Word Document, 13.95 KB)

Prisoners: Training

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether each prison is required to maintain a record of the courses offered to prisoners.

Robert Buckland: Prisons are required to maintain a record of the courses offered to prisoners. All prisons under the Prison Education Framework (PEF) contract are required to agree an annual delivery plan which sets out the services to be provided. Once the delivery plan is finalised a copy of the curriculum is uploaded onto an HMPPS Management Information System which is then visible and available to all prisons to support better co-ordination of the offer prisoners receive. We want prisons to provide offenders with the tools they need for successful rehabilitation, including education opportunities that prepare them for employment on release.

Prisons: Industrial Injuries

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance his Department has issued to staff working in prisons on (a) reporting and (b) not reporting injuries sustained at work.

Robert Buckland: HM Prison and Probation Service issues national guidance on the reporting of injuries sustained by staff. This can be found at the following link: https://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/offenders/psipso/psi-2016/psi-02-2106-hs-arrangements-management-accident-reporting.doc This document outlines and clarifies the key duties to be undertaken by staff and managers reporting and recording work place accidents, injury and ill-health to employees and third parties and any associated litigation. It is designed to achieve more consistent standards, deliver pragmatic and effective legal compliance and reduce duplication of effort and documentation across the estate. All staff are aware of the requirement to record and report accidents and injuries arising from their work within prison service establishments. Managers also have a duty of care to ensure that necessary investigations are carried out in accordance with the policy.

Sentencing: Appeals

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many sentences were reduced on appeal because they were manifestly excessive in each of the last five years.

Robert Buckland: Information on the numbers of sentences reduced on appeal because they were manifestly excessive is not held centrally. Data on appeals against convictions and sentences heard in the Crown Court is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2019 and data on appeals against convictions and sentences heard in the Court of Appeal is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-justice-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2019.

Council Tax: Sentencing

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) women, and (b) men have been given a custodial sentence for the non-payment of council tax in each of the last five years.

Robert Buckland: Non-payment of council tax is not a criminal offence and cannot attract a custodial sentence. Committal to prison can only ever be the last resort for non-payment of council tax. Before a magistrates’ court commits someone to prison for failure to pay their council tax, it must have issued a “liability order” and the local authority must have (at least) tried and failed to take control of the debtor’s goods and sell them to recover the debt. Councils have additional powers of enforcement under a liability order, including deduction from earnings, deduction from benefit, charging orders on the property, and bankruptcy. If a council applies for committal to prison, the court must inquire into the debtor’s means, and the council must satisfy the court that there is no other effective method of collection and that failure to pay is due to wilful refusal or culpable neglect. This is to prevent persons who are genuinely unable to pay their council tax from being committed to prison. Where that is the case courts have the power to remit the debt. The number of people admitted to prison for non-payment of council tax, covering the period 1990 – 2018, can be viewed in Table A2.12 at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/796916/receptions-2018.ods

Department for International Trade

Overseas Trade: North East

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps the Government is taking to tackle the concerns of export and import businesses in North east England on the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Graham Stuart: HMG has published on-line guidance on how leaving the EU may affect a business and what they can do to prepare. ‘Helping businesses prepare for EU Exit’ is on GOV.UK. It includes information on employment, importing, exporting, transporting, operating in the EU, regulations and standards, personal data, funding and Intellectual Property. It also includes guidance on changes to exporting goods and services from the UK to specific countries if we leave the EU with no deal. Alongside this, North East based DIT officials and International Trade Advisers are engaging with LEPs and Growth Hubs to support businesses across the region.

Arms Trade: Israel

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which weapons and equipment were licenced for sale to Israel on 18 May 2018.

Graham Stuart: No licences were granted for weapons on 18th May 2018 for export to Israel. However, two equipment licences were granted – one was a Temporary export licence for military training equipment, which was issued for use in the provision of an aerial target for an air defence training exercise. Temporary exports are returned to the UK within the 12 month validity of the licence granted. The second licence was for information security equipment, which was issued for a street light control gateway.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2019 to Question 268564, if he will publish the (a) number, (b) type and (c) item code for (i) all extant licences for military goods to each of Saudi Arabia's coalition partners and (ii) any such licences under review as a result of the Court of Appeal Judgment of 20 June 2019; and what the timetable is for the completion of those reviews.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of the total value of standard individual export licences for arms exports to (a) Saudi Arabia,  (b) the UAE and (c) other coalition partners that were still valid on 20 June 2019.

Graham Stuart: Details of military rated licences that were extant as at 5 July 2019 and were granted prior to 31 December 2018 have been provided to the libraries of the House. The spreadsheet provided includes the value of each licence at the time it was granted, but we cannot provide an estimate of total values for licences that are still valid, as some of these will have been partially used. Some Standard Individual Export Licence (SIEL) value data includes data relating to a number of non-military rated items or items that do not require an export licence, which were included on the respective licence application. Information about licences granted from 1 January 2019 onwards have not, as yet, been published as official statistics on GOV.UK and therefore cannot be disclosed. The data currently published on GOV.UK covers licences where a decision was made prior to 1 January 2019, with details of each licence correct as at 15 March 2019. Information from the period 1 January 2019 to 31 March 2019 will be published on 16 July 2019 and data covering the period 1 April 2019 to 30 June 2019 will be published in October 2019. The Government is carefully considering the implications of the Court of Appeal Judgment for decision making. As part of this work we will be determining whether licences would need to be reconsidered. At this stage it is uncertain how long this work will take.

Trade Agreements: China and India

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he has had with his (a) Chinese and (b) Indian counterpart on a trade deal after the UK leaves the EU.

George Hollingbery: The UK is preparing to strengthen its trade ties with international partners, including China and India post EU-exit. In January 2018, the UK and China launched a Joint Trade and Investment Review to explore options to enhance their trade and investment relationship, without pre-judging outcomes. My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade visited China five times in 2018 to discuss our ambition for a strong trade partnership. The UK-India Joint Trade Review, announced during the Prime Minister’s visit to India in 2016, has helped us better understand the UK-India trade relationship. In April 2018, both Prime Ministers agreed to forge a new trade partnership, to take forward recommendations from the Review. This work is being progressed through the Joint Working Group on trade which has met eight times since November 2016.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the Court of Appeal ruling on 20 June 2019 in R (on the application of Campaign Against Arms Trade) v. The Secretary of State for International Trade, whether his Department will suspend extant open licences for the export of arms to Saudi Arabia.

Graham Stuart: The Government is carefully considering the implications of the Court of Appeal judgment of 20 June for decision making. We disagree with the judgment and are seeking permission to appeal. While we do this, we will not grant any new licences for exports to Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners (UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Egypt) for possible use in the conflict in Yemen. Extant licences are not immediately affected by this judgment but decisions about these licences are remitted to the Government to reconsider in the light of the judgment. The Campaign Against Arms Trade did not seek an Order to suspend licences and the Court has not ordered their suspension. The Court expressly clarified that the outcome of the reconsideration was not a foregone conclusion.

*No heading*

Giles Watling: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans he has to use the Board of Trade to ensure that the constituent parts of the UK benefit from UK trade policy after the UK leaves the EU.

Dr Liam Fox: Establishing the Board of Trade has been one of this department’s major achievements over the last three years and it will continue to meet in all UK Nations and regions. It has representation from the Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and business advisers from across the UK, and will make sure all parts of the UK benefit from the jobs and investment that come with an independent trade policy.

*No heading*

Gillian Keegan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of foreign direct investment in the UK tech sector.

Graham Stuart: The latest Tech Nation report showed the UK attracts more VC tech investment than any other European nation, with £6.3 billion raised in 2018. The UK is both a leading global financial hub and an Artificial Intelligence (AI) hub, home to more AI start-ups than any other European country with over 1000 companies and 600 investors. Last month during London Tech Week, my department announced a further £1.2 billion of new foreign direct investment in the UK tech sector which will create more than 850 jobs.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

High Rise Flats: Insulation

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2019 to Question number 268957 on High Rise Flats: Insulation, what non-ACM cladding is being tested; when the results will be known; and how many buildings are estimated to be affected.

Kit Malthouse: I refer the Hon Member to the written ministerial statement HCWS1533 made on 1 May 2019 (https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2019-05-01/debates/19050113000008/BuildingSafetyCombustibleMaterials ). We expect final results to be available over the Summer. The research findings will be published in due course. The Department does not currently formally collect data on non-Aluminium Composite Material (non-ACM) cladding systems.

Buildings: Fire Prevention

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure new builds are meeting fire safety requirements.

Kit Malthouse: The primary responsibility for compliance with the Building Regulations, including fire safety, rests with the person carrying out the building work. This is the builder or developer. Most building work is subject to building control either by the local authority or a private approved inspector, on a spot-check basis. It is the responsibility of the building control body to take all reasonable steps to assess compliance. However, responsibility for compliance remains with the builder or developer.On 5 July, the Government published a clarified version of Approved Document B (fire safety) to help responsible parties to understand what steps they could take to ensure that their building complies with the building regulations.We are currently consulting on how we propose to take forward legislative reform for building and fire safety in higher-risk residential buildings implementing recommendations made by Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review.

Hospitals and Schools: Air Pollution

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether there are specific planning requirements for building (a) schools and (b) hospitals in air pollution hotspots.

Kit Malthouse: There are strong protections in place to safeguard people from unacceptable risks from air pollution where development is proposed. National planning policy in England is clear that new development should be appropriate for its location, taking account of the effects of pollution on people's health. This applies to schools and hospitals as it does to other uses.

Housing: Older People

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to ensure that higher accessibility standards for elderly people are incorporated into the current review of the decent homes standard; and how that standard will be applied to estate refurbishment programmes in order to meet the needs of an ageing population.

Kit Malthouse: Everyone deserves a decent and safe place to live and Government is committed to helping older and disabled people to live independently and safely.The Social Housing Green Paper asks if there are any changes to what constitutes a decent home that we should consider and whether we need additional measures to make sure homes are safe and decent. We are currently considering the responses to the consultation and expect our action plan and timetable for implementing wide-ranging reforms of social housing will be published in September.

Planning: Health Services

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Health and Social Care on integrating health and care needs into planning frameworks and strategies.

Kit Malthouse: The Department engages with the Department of Health and Social Care in the preparation of planning policy and guidance. The National Planning Policy Framework expects plans and decisions to address identified local health and well-being needs and to take into account and support the delivery of local strategies to improve health and social well-being for all.

Housing: Construction

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government remains on track to achieve its target of 300,000 new homes a year by 2025.

Kit Malthouse: Supporting the market to deliver 300,000 homes a year is largely unprecedented and presents a significant challenge. Our interventions are making a difference. Last year 222,190 homes were delivered, the highest in all but one of the last thirty years. This year numbers are expected to rise again, representing the 7th consecutive year of growth. Good progress has been made and in the short to medium term the Government remains on track We continue to monitor the market closely to ensure our interventions continue to meet the challenges faced in the longer term. We are committed to seizing every opportunity to boost housing supply, and are taking end-to-end action across the entire market. While the Government’s ambition to deliver 300,000 homes a year is rightly ambitious, it remains achievable.

Homelessness: LGBT People

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of reductions in funding for local government on housing provision for homeless LGBTQ+ young people.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: We recognise that LGBT homelessness is an important issue, particularly among young people and that LGBT people who find themselves homeless may have a different experience of homelessness due to their protected characteristics. However, data on this issue is limited. This why we are currently undertaking research with the Government Equalities Office into the nature of LGBT homelessness that we also committed to in the LGBT Action Plan.The research will be carried out in two stages. The first will include a review of existing evidence on LGBT homelessness and interviews with LGBT people with lived experience of homelessness. We are working with Sheffield Hallam University to deliver Phase 1. The second will include a review of services working with LGBT homeless people. We expect Phase 2 to begin later this year.The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.In its first year, our Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) provided over 1,750 new bed spaces and 500 staff.  This year we have expanded the RSI with investment of £46 million for 246 areas – providing funding for an estimated 2,600 bed spaces and 750 staff.

Homelessness: Immigrants

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent steps his Department has taken to support homeless migrants living in the UK.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.In its first year, our Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) provided over 1,750 new bed spaces and 500 staff.  This year we have expanded the RSI with investment of £46 million for 246 areas – providing funding for an estimated 2,600 bed spaces and 750 staff.As part of our investment, in the Rough Sleeping Strategy we committed to £5 million of funding to help local areas take action to help non-UK nationals who sleep rough off the streets. This funding will complement the projects which we have already funded through the £100 million Controlling Migration Fund (CMF) for local authorities to work with non-UK nationals who sleep rough. Further CMF funding allocations will be announced shortly.”

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Serco

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many contracts his Department has awarded to Serco since July 2013; and what the value is of those contracts.

Jake Berry: Holding answer received on 11 July 2019



Since July 2013, the Department has awarded 2 contracts to Serco, with a total contract value of £2.2 million.These covered the procurement of a service provider to run the Right to Buy Contact Centre Service and of cyber training and exercising support for the National Cyber Security Programme.

Private Rented Housing

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the proportion of private landlords who refuse to rent accommodation to people who receive social security payments.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: According to the English Private Landlord Survey 2018:  52 per cent of landlords and 37 per cent of agents reported that they would be unwilling to let to tenants in receipt of Housing Benefit.   47 per cent of landlords and 33 per cent of agents reported that they would be unwilling to let to anyone on Universal Credit.

Buildings: Fire Prevention

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of leaseholders in England who have been asked to pay for fire safety remediation works other than cladding remediation.

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his Department's policy is on leaseholders being liable to pay for remedial fire safety works other than cladding remediation.

Kit Malthouse: MHCLG does not hold comprehensive data on leaseholders who have been asked to pay for fire safety remediation works. The Government has made it clear that building owners should protect leaseholders from bearing the costs of remediation.Government intervention to provide funding for the removal of unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding is wholly exceptional. It is based on the unparalleled fire risk ACM poses, very real public safety concerns and the abject failure of many building owners to do the right thing by their residents.  Government intervention does not remove responsibility for overall building safety from the building owner and if other fire safety risks are uncovered, they must remedy them, or potentially face enforcement action from the local authority.

Council Tax

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of payment of  council tax in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales.

Rishi Sunak: In-year collection rates for council tax in England have remained consistently high and, for 2018-19, were 97.0 per cent. The Government publishes statistics on council tax collection over time at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/collection-rates-for-council-tax-and-non-domestic-rates-in-england-2018-to-2019 . Local government finance is a devolved matter in Scotland and Wales.

Ministry of Defence

Military Aircraft

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the number of aircraft in the RAF fleet.

Stuart Andrew: Assessments of trends in the number of aircraft in the RAF fleet is undertaken in the annual National Statistics publication: UK Armed Forces Equipment and Formations.The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 invested in the Royal Air Force to deliver Joint Force 2025. The RAF will grow in size and capability with a larger and more capable frontline, delivering the technology required for the Next Generation Air Force.F-35 Lightning is now operational, and the Typhoon force has already grown by one squadron, with a further to stand up this year. A broad range of new training aircraft, more aligned to the operational fleet, have also been delivered for the Military Flying Training System. The first P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol aircraft will shortly undertake its first flight. We have also committed to purchase Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft and Protector Remotely Piloted Air Systems. The addition of A400M Atlas, concurrent to the drawdown of the C130J Hercules, has also provided increasing lift capacity, working alongside our C17 strategic transport fleet.

Defence: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps she is taking to reduce the affordability gap between the equipment plan and her Department's budget.

Stuart Andrew: We recognise that the Equipment Plan is currently unaffordable and have set out a range of measures in response to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report to put the programme on a sustainable financial footing. We have committed to providing further progress updates to the Committee by the end of this month on the development of financial functional skills and our engagement with industry.Our response to the PAC report was published in the Treasury Minutes on 1 April 2019 and can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/treasury-minutes-april-2019

Hawk Aircraft

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2019 to Question 269014, how many sorties have Hawk T2 aircraft have undertaken in the advanced jet training role from 3 April to 26 June 2019.

Stuart Andrew: Between 3 April and 26 June 2019, RAF Hawk T2 aircraft undertook 1,177 Advanced Jet Training sorties.

Veterans UK

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times the Minister of State for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans has met with trade union representatives to discuss the future of Veterans UK in the last six months.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: None.However, Ministry of Defence officials have met trade union representatives on numerous occasions to discuss the Future Service Delivery Contract and its impact and benefits to the Veterans UK organisation. This close engagement will continue.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Pay

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what date she plans to agree the 2019-20 pay settlement for Royal Fleet Auxiliary staff with the relevant trade unions.

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions she has had with officials from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) on the 2019-20 pay award for civilian RFA staff.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Defence Ministers regularly meet with officials from Navy Command to discuss a range of issues, including Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) pay.The Public Sector Pay Award Guidelines were published by Her Majesty's Treasury on 13 June 2019 and Departmental officials continue to work on a pay proposal for the RFA for 2019-20 based on this guidance.

Armed Forces: Pay

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what date she plans to agree the 2019-20 pay settlement with the Armed Forces Pay Review Body.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Armed Forces' Pay Review Body submitted their report in May 2019 alongside all other public sector pay review bodies. The Government is currently considering the recommendations before agreeing the final 2019 Armed Forces Pay Award, taking into account the need to recruit, retain, and motivate suitably able and qualified personnel, as well as the long term affordability of the Armed Forces. Once a decision has been reached, as with previous years, the Armed Forces' Pay Review Body report will be published and any pay rises backdated to 1 April 2019.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Apprentices

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average age was of a Royal Fleet Auxiliary apprentice in each year between 2008-09 and 2018-19.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Royal Fleet Auxiliary commenced apprenticeships in April 2015 across five skill areas: Seamanship Rating; Marine Engineer Rating; Chef; Steward; and Communications and Information Systems Rating. The average age of personnel recruited into these schemes each year is provided in the table below: Financial YearAverage Age (Years)2015-16312016-17302017-18292018-1933

Veterans: Northern Ireland

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions she has had with her counterpart in the Northern Ireland Office on a resolution to the matter of the prosecution of army veterans who served in Northern Ireland.

Penny Mordaunt: I discuss these important issues with the Northern Ireland Secretary and other relevant Ministers on a regular basis. As I set out in my written ministerial statement of 21 May 2019 (HCWS1575), our obligations to veterans who have served in Northern Ireland remain the same as to those who served in other theatres, and I have agreed with the Northern Ireland Secretary that my Department will provide formal input to any process taken forward by the Northern Ireland Office resulting from the Stormont House Agreement.

EU Common Foreign and Security Policy

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if she will place a copy of the most recent UK National Implementation Plan under the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy in the Library; and if she will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: National Implementation Plans under the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) may refer to either Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) or civilian CSDP. As the UK is not a PESCO participating Member State and is not subject to the PESCO binding commitments, we have not developed a National Implementation Plan for PESCO. We are considering whether a National Implementation Plan for civilian CSDP is required before the UK leaves the EU.

EU Common Foreign and Security Policy

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions she has had with the UK Permanent Representative EU on the EU Council meeting on security and defence on 17 June 2019.

Penny Mordaunt: Ministry of Defence officials regularly engage with the UK Permanent Representative to the European Union on a number of issues. I was not present at the EU Foreign Affairs Council Meeting on 17 June 2019 but met with the UK Permanent Representative to the European Union in the margins of the NATO Defence Ministerial in Brussels on 29 June 2019 to discuss a number of issues related to European security and defence.

Department for Work and Pensions

Disability: Medical Examinations

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what specific qualifications are required to operate as a disability assessor for her Department.

Justin Tomlinson: Health Professionals that carry out Work Capability and Personal Independence Payment assessments on behalf of the department must have the following qualifications and experience: are an occupational therapist, nurse, physiotherapist, doctor (or paramedic - PIP only)fully registered with the relevant licensing body (doctors must have a licence to practise)the licensing body has not placed any sanctions on the health professional's registrationat least 2 years post full registration experience or less than 2 years post full registration experience by specific agreement with the department. Health Professionals are subject to a rigorous recruitment process followed by a comprehensive training programme in disability assessment for both physical and mental health conditions and have to be approved by the department. Health Professionals are then required to complete a programme of continuing professional development.

Local Housing Allowance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the proportion of single room properties that were affordable for local housing allowance claimants in each region of England in (a) 2010 and (b) the most recent period for which data is available.

Will Quince: In 2010, Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates were set at the 50th percentile of local rents, so half of non-housing benefit properties in the private rented sector were available within the LHA rate. The proportion of non-housing benefit single room accommodation available within the LHA rate by region in England for 2018/19 are as follows: East Midlands15%Eastern13%London8%North East14%North West15%South East14%South West15%West Midlands16%Yorkshire & The Humber21%Note: figures are exclusive of housing benefit properties as the lettings data used to calculate the LHA is exclusive of tenancies where the claimant is in receipt of housing benefit. There are no current plans to extend or maintain the LHA Freeze after March 2020. Specific decisions on how to uprate the Local Housing Allowance rates from April 2020 will form part of the discussions in support of fiscal events later this year.

Universal Credit

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the proportion of claimants who received advance payments (a) below the value of, (b) the same value as and (c) above the value of their first universal credit payment in the most recent month for which data is available.

Alok Sharma: Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, for which they can pay back over a period of up to 12 months. From October 2021, this maximum repayment period will be extended from 12 to 16 months. The Department ensures claimants are made aware of their maximum advance entitlement and informed that their Universal Credit award will be adjusted over the relevant recovery period to take into account the advance of benefit they received. The available data shows that in the 12-month period up to the end of April 2019. (a) Around 20% of claimants take an advance which is less than 50% of their actual award value(b) Around 75% of claimants take an advance which is between 50-100% of their actual award value(c) Around 5% of claimants take an advance which is over 100% of their actual award value. To note on C): in a small number of cases the information provided by the claimant at the point of their new claim initially indicates a higher award than is actually applicable when the first assessment period has been completed.

Social Security Benefits

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the number of applications for social security payments that are discontinued due to the death of the applicant.

Will Quince: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Processed Food

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support large scale food processing.

David Rutley: The UK food processing industry is a highly competitive and successful industry, supplying both domestic markets and exporting overseas. Defra works across Government and in partnership with the sector in a variety of ways to support industry to improve its productivity and facilitate growth. This includes funding research and development to support new innovation and working to support new export opportunities for our world class food and drink products, including in priority markets such as China, Japan and USA. The Food and Drink Sector Council is an industry-led partnership with Government which represents the entire farm to fork food chain. The Council’s aim is to boost the UK’s productivity and secure the UK’s position as a global leader in affordable, safe, sustainable and high-quality food and drink. The Council has a range of key priorities to support this aim, including working groups on agricultural productivity, and skills and workforce development.

Incinerators

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what comparative data and analysis his Department holds on (a) operational practice and (b) waste content in municipal waste incineration sites in (i) England and (ii) Italy (iii) Scandinavia and (iv) other Member States of the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: None; however data and analysis on these systems is held on the European Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Bureau’s (EIPPCB) Best Available Techniques Information System. Information on the operational practice of waste incineration plants across Europe is also contained within the current draft of the Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document published by the EIPPCB, available here http://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/reference/BREF/WI/WI_BREF_FD_Black_Watermark.pdf

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on his Department's preparations for the UK leaving the EU without an agreement.

David Rutley: We have been working directly with the Welsh Government and the other Devolved Administrations at Ministerial and official level to minimise any disruption in the event of the UK leaving the EU without an agreement. It is the UK Government’s priority to secure an agreement, however whilst there is still a risk of the UK leaving without a deal it is prudent to prepare for all scenarios. Most recently, on 24 June 2019, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food met with Ministers from the Devolved Administration to discuss preparations for a no deal exit from the EU.

Tree Planting

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to set up tree planting schemes (a) nationally and (b) in Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement.

David Rutley: The Government is committed to planting 11 million trees this Parliament, as well as planting 1 million trees in our towns and cities. Woodland creation is a key element of our 25 Year Environment Plan. The Government provides national support to landowners to plant trees through Countryside Stewardship, the Woodland Carbon Fund, the High Speed 2 Woodland Fund and the Government’s investment in the Northern Forest. Further, in the Autumn Budget, the Government announced £10m for an Urban Trees Challenge Fund – which is now open for applications - and £50m to help plant new woodlands through the Woodland Carbon Guarantee. We supported the planting of 372,000 trees for the administrative areas of Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire from 2010-11 to 2018-19, and look forward to supporting landowners to plant more trees in the coming years.

Birds: Slaughterhouses

George Eustice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of birds slaughtered without stunning under a shackle line system are required to be individually assessed for signs of consciousness by a food business operator before birds progress to the next stage of production.

David Rutley: All birds slaughtered without stunning should be assessed to ensure they do not present any sign of life before undergoing dressing or scalding. Further dressing or scalding shall only be performed once the absence of signs of life of the animal has been verified.  The European Food Standards Authority have produced guidance on monitoring procedures at slaughterhouses for poultry that recommends that all birds slaughtered without stunning should be assessed for unconsciousness and death by checking appropriate indicators.

Forests: Carbon Emissions

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential for (a) tree-planting and reforestation and (b) the prevention of deforestation to help the UK meet its goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

David Rutley: Our English Tree Strategy will detail our national afforestation initiatives to help address the UK Government’s commitment to net zero emissions by 2050. The consultation for the English Tree Strategy will be launched later this year. Our Tree Champion is leading our engagement with forestry, environmental and other stakeholders, to inform our development of the Strategy. This Government is committed to tackling climate change, as demonstrated by legislating to end the UK’s contribution to global warming by 2050 by enshrining a net zero emissions target in law. Tree planting can be a major contributor to nature-based carbon sequestration. Our manifesto committed to planting 11 million trees by 2022, and we are committed to the aspiration of reaching 12% woodland cover in England by 2060.

Forests

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to promote (a) reforestation and (b) prevent deforestation in each region and nation of the UK in the last five years.

David Rutley: This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. The Government provides a range of support to landowners for new woodland creation through Countryside Stewardship, the Woodland Carbon Fund and the HS2 Woodland Fund. These have been available for some time and are open to new applications from farmers and landowners who can meet the criteria for funding. In the Autumn Budget the Government announced an additional £60 million for tree planting initiatives, comprising £10 million to fund urban tree planting and £50 million for a Woodland Carbon Guarantee scheme. This is in addition to the Government’s kick start investment in the Northern Forest, and establishment of the Forestry Investment Zone (FIZ) pilot in northeast Cumbria. There are regulations in place to prevent unauthorised deforestation, primarily the Environmental Impact Assessment (Forestry) (England and Wales) Regulations 1999, as amended. If plans for deforestation are determined to have significant environmental impact and exceed the threshold in the regulations, landowners must gain Forestry Commission consent before any change of land use can take place. If trees are removed without consent then restoration can be ordered. Under the provisions given in Part II of the Forestry Act 1967 (as amended) proposals for deforestation must, like most tree felling, have a Felling Licence from the Forestry Commission.

Livestock: Exports

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the maintenance of animal welfare standards in relation to live animal exports when the UK leaves the EU.

David Rutley: The Government’s manifesto made it clear that we would take early steps to control the export of live farm animals for slaughter once we leave the European Union. We are considering all of the options in the context of our exit from the EU as part of our broader commitment to further strengthen animal welfare.Last year, we launched a Call for Evidence on controlling live exports for slaughter and improving the welfare of all animals during transport. We passed this evidence to the Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC), who recently submitted their advice to Defra and the Devolved Administrations including in relation to live exports. We are considering FAWC’s report and aim to publish it, along with a Government response, in due course. We expect to come forward with proposals for public consultation to improve animal welfare in transport.As we move towards a new relationship with Europe and the rest of the world, we have a unique opportunity to shape future animal welfare policy in the UK to ensure the highest standards in every area.

Trees: Conservation

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to give greater protection to ancient trees.

David Rutley: The Government’s manifesto included a commitment to provide stronger protections for our ancient woodland. In July 2018, we published the National Planning Policy Framework which strengthens the protection of ancient woodlands. Planning Policy Guidance will be published shortly and will provide local authorities and landowners with practical advice on how best to protect these irreplaceable habitats.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Testing

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations he has made to his EU counterparts on the EU's proposed movement of testing for TB on all cattle that are over six months from their previous test date.

Mr Robert Goodwill: A new EU Animal Health Regulation containing rules relevant to bovine TB control is due to come into force from 2021. Government officials have participated in expert group discussions on the so called delegated acts which will lay down the detailed rules. The UK devolved administrations have been fully involved in briefing for those meetings, including on the provisions for movement testing. Written representations have also been submitted to the European Commission. Ultimately, since these texts are delegated acts, final decisions on the detailed rules will be a matter for the European Commission, which has also conducted public consultation via its Have Your Say web service.

Recycling

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to advise local authorities against opting for commingled recycling to avoid the hgh risk of contamination.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Regulation 13 of the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 states that every waste collection authority (local authority) must, when making arrangements for the collection of waste paper, metal, plastic or glass, ensure those arrangements are by way of separate collection. This duty applies unless separate collection is not technically, environmentally or economically practicable (TEEP) or where the separate collection is not necessary to ensure waste is recovered in accordance with Articles 4 and 13 of the Waste Framework Directive. In other words, separate collection is the default unless it is not TEEP. Our consultation ‘Consistency in household and business recycling collections in England’ sought views on separate collection of recycling materials. We intend to prepare statutory guidance which will set out advice and good practice and help local authorities to meet their duties in relation to the separate collection of recycling materials. The Government’s response to the consultation will be published shortly.

Neonicotinoids

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of banning thiacloprid, which is harmful to (a) bees and (b) humans.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government’s priority is to protect people and the environment. Pesticides are only authorised if scientific evidence shows that they will not harm human health and do not have unacceptable effects on the environment. All pesticides are subject to regular review to ensure that they meet the latest standards of safety for people and to the environment. Thiacloprid is currently under review and will be withdrawn or restricted if the scientific assessment finds that this is appropriate.

Litter

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will (a) undertake a review of the Government's litter strategy to ensure greater effectiveness at tackling littering and (b) encourage the prosecution of owners that discard litter from a motor vehicle; and if he will make statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government published the Litter Strategy for England in April 2017, and while there are no plans to review the Litter Strategy itself, the second annual report will be published shortly. From April last year, we have given district councils in England (outside London) new powers to hold the keeper of a vehicle responsible for littering offences committed from it by issuing a civil (financial) penalty which is set at the same level as the local fixed penalty for littering. It is up to councils to determine their approach to enforcement, including whether to make use of these powers. Implementation advice was provided to councils to assist them in making use of these powers. London councils already had these powers. We have also consulted on improved guidance to councils and others on the use of their fixed penalty powers for tackling littering (including littering from vehicles) and related offences. We are currently considering the responses to the consultation and the improved guidance will be published shortly.

Home Office

Visas: Ministers of Religion

Mhairi Black: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the meeting he is hosting in August 2019 with representatives from faith communities on changes to the immigration rules for (a) Tier 2 and (b) Tier 5 religious workers visas will involve representatives from the Scottish clergy and other religious organisations based in Scotland.

Mhairi Black: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions his officials have had with (a) the Scottish Government and (b) members of the Scottish clergy and other religious organisations based in Scotland on changes to the immigration rules in relation to (i) Tier 2 and (ii) Tier 5 visas for religious workers .

Caroline Nokes: On 8 July I held a meeting with representatives from the faith community about changes to Tier 2 and Tier 5 immigration rules. That meeting included a representative of the Scottish clergy.

Lancashire Police: Emergency Services Network

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the additional costs incurred by Lancashire Constabulary due to the delay in the roll-out of the  Emergency Services Network critical communications system.

Mr Nick Hurd: The new Emergency Services Network (ESN) is the next-generation critical communications system that allows the police, fire and rescue and ambulance services to operate safely, collaborate and innovate. ESN represents value for money for the taxpayer through delivering steady state savings of over £200m pa compared to Airwave.The delay in rolling out ESN means that we will continue to pay for Airwave for longer, at current rates. Local forces will continue to have to pay some Airwave charges as well as for commercial broadband services. There will also continue to be some costs for supporting transition teams. We do not have precise figures for these local costs.

Visas: Skilled Workers

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make it his Department’s policy to end the cap on Tier 2 visas for highly skilled migrants.

Caroline Nokes: The Government published “The UK Future Skills-Based Immigration System” White Paper in December 2018. The White Paper set out the Government’s intention to have a route for skilled migrants and that the route would not be capped.

Visas: Skilled Workers

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make it his Department’s policy to exclude scientific research occupations from proposals in the immigration White Paper for a minimum salary threshold.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps his Department has taken through the immigration system to ensure that the UK can attract and retain scientific talent at all career stages.

Caroline Nokes: On 24 June 2019, the Government asked the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to consider the operation of salary thresholds in the future immigration system, including the impact of exemptions from minimum salary thresholds. The MAC is due to report by January 2020.We recognise the vital contribution that scientists make to the UK. In his spring statement, my Rt Hon Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, confirmed that PhD level occupations would be exempt from the Tier 2 cap. Additionally, researchers applying for settlement are exempt from the rule which states that, there should be no absence from the UK for 180 days if the absence from the UK is for the purpose carrying out research. A number of research roles also appear on the Shortage Occupation List which also exempts them from the settlement salary thresholdThe Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) route is also available for internationally recognised leaders and promising future leaders, including in the science and research sector.

Visas: Fees and Charges

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that the UK’s visa charges remain competitive with those of other countries.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office keeps all visa fees under regular review. A constituent part of this analysis includes a review of fees charged in comparison with other countries.

Detention Centres: Children

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what type of education provision is being provided for non-UK nationals who are children at (a) Dungavel and (b) other immigration removal centres.

Caroline Nokes: As stated in response to the honourable member’s question of 7 June 2019 [261289], the UK ended the routine detention of children in immigration removal centres in 2010, and enshrined this in law under the Immigration Act 2014. There remain limited circumstances where, very exceptionally, unaccompanied children may be detained in the absence of suitable alternatives.A range of educational resources and other welfare services are provided to families with children in detention. The short time that families spend at the dedicated family accommodation near Gatwick means that formal education is not provided. The most recent Independent Monitoring Board report for the centre praised the learning equipment provided to children during their short stay.

Sleeping Rough: EU Nationals

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been deported from the UK as a result of information supplied by the Rough Sleeper Support Service (a) in the last year and (b) since the programme's inception.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which charities his Department has consulted in developing the Rough Sleeper Support Service.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of rough sleeping have been processed in relation to his Department's Rough Sleeper Support Service (a) in the last year and (b) since its inception.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) Border Force and (b) other staff from his Department are assigned to the Rough Sleeper Support Service programme.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the Rough Sleeper Support Service (a) in the last year and (b) since that programme's inception.

Caroline Nokes: The establishment of the Rough Sleeping Support Service (RSSS) was announced as part of the Government’s Rough Sleeping Strategy in August 2018. The RSSS was set up to act as a central point of contact for local authorities to help them to establish the immigration status of non-UK national rough sleepers and for the Home Office to prioritise any outstanding immigration cases, which might unlock entitlement to support and enable them to get off the streets. The service is not an enforcement approach but the Home Office may consider action on a case-by-case basis where individuals have exhausted all other avenues and are unwilling to leave the UK voluntarily. This is in line with existing immigration law.Removals of non-UK rough sleepers cannot be disaggregated in the published statistics on the removal of those without lawful status. It is also not possible to directly attribute removals to interaction with the RSSS because a range of factors will have affected how decisions were reached in these cases. A person’s removal from the UK is determined by their immigration status and circumstances, including unwillingness to depart voluntarily, not by contact with the RSSS.The Home Office has engaged with a wide range of local authorities and charities in and outside of London to explain how the RSSS can assist with swift immigration status checks, help those here lawfully to evidence this fact to unlock access to support and assist with those who wish to leave the UK.Most of the cases referred to the RSSS have been internal referrals from within the Home Office. We have been developing processes to ensure all data sharing with other organisations is fully GDPR-compliant. This includes the requirement to ensure that rough sleepers are advised and informed about the possible use of their information by the Home Office.The RSSS is a mixed grade team of fewer than five staff, none of whom is from Border Force. It does not undertake any enforcement action. It has an administrative role, conducting status checks, identifying cases for prioritisation and ensuring that other parts of the Home Office are able to provide assistance to those who require evidence of their lawful status or assistance in leaving the UK.The Home Office assigned existing staff to the RSSS team and no extra resources were required.

Police: Privacy

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he has taken to ensure the criteria used for Police watch lists does not intrude on individual privacy.

Mr Nick Hurd: For the recent live facial recognition trials, police have compiled bespoke watch lists of individuals depending on the needs of the deployment. This includes people wanted for serious offences, those banned from attending the event, or known criminals that operate in a crowded space.The police’s selection of images that are used to compile watch lists is governed by data protection legislation and human rights law.The National Police Chiefs’ Council is currently drafting operational advice to police forces on the conduct of trials, including the creation of watch lists. The Facial Images and New Biometrics Oversight and Advisory Board will review the advice.

Fire and Rescue Services: Training

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding he plans to allocate for fire service training in each of the next five financial years.

Mr Nick Hurd: Fire and rescue authorities will receive around £2.3 billion in 2019/20. It is the responsibility of fire and rescue services to ensure that their staff receive appropriate training to deliver their core functions across prevention, protection and response effectively.Fire and Rescue Services funding requirements from 2020/21 will be considered as part of the Spending Review.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Brexit

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will place in the Library a list of all (a) estimates, (b) reviews and (c) briefings his Department has (i) prepared or conducted and (ii) contributed to in relation to the effect on Wales of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Alun Cairns: EU Exit is an all-of-government operation, and the Government wants to see the UK leave the EU with a deal. However, the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) has done detailed work with departments, including the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales on preparing for a No-Deal scenario. DExEU has already published detailed analysis of the effect of leaving the EU without a deal on gov.uk: ttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/760484/28_November_EU_Exit_-_Long-term_economic_analysis__1_.pdf

Wylfa Power Station

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent progress the Government has made on the future of the proposed Wylfa Newydd power plant.

Alun Cairns: Wylfa Newydd remains a suitable site for nuclear new build in the future. The site is still owned by Hitachi, and the UK Government remains in discussions with them regarding its future. We are committed to creating a broad-based resilient economy through our modern Industrial Strategy and will continue to work with the Welsh Government and local partners to ensure that North Wales prospers. The Government remains committed to the nuclear sector, giving the go ahead to the first new nuclear power station in a generation at Hinkley Point C and investing £200m through our landmark Nuclear Sector Deal, which was signed in North Wales.

Cabinet Office

GovTech Fund

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2019 to Question 271623 on the GovTech Fund, whether (a) business cases and (b) budgets were produced for each of the 11 challenges prior to their advertisement.

Oliver Dowden: The complete selection criteria required for all GovTech Catalyst challenges can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-submit-a-govtech-catalyst-challenge#criteria

Early Years Ministerial Group On Family Support

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress the Government is making on implementing the recommendations of the cross-Whitehall Inter-Ministerial Group on Early Years Family Support.

Mr David Lidington: I pay tribute to my Right Honourable Friend’s role in establishing and chairing the Early Years Family Support Ministerial Group which has been considering how the Government can improve the coordination and cost-effectiveness of early years (conception to age two) family support and identify gaps in available provision. The group has made recommendations to relevant Secretaries of State which they are now considering.

Cabinet Office: Public Appointments

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2019 to Question 255390 on Cabinet Office: Public Appointments, what relationship the Chief Data Officer will have with the cross-government Data Advisory Board.

Oliver Dowden: A Chief Data Officer would lead on government's use of data, working closely with the Data Advisory Board which provides strategic oversight for the collection and use of data held by government departments

Treasury

Financial Ombudsman Service

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints have been submitted to the Financial Ombudsman Service in each of the last three years; what the average wait was for a final decision in each of those years; how many complaints are currently outstanding; and what the current average waiting time is for a final decision.

John Glen: This is a matter for the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), which is operationally independent from Government. The question has been passed on to the FOS. The FOS will reply directly to Caroline Lucas MP by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Small Businesses: Finance

Jim McMahon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to increase protection for small businesses taking out finance.

John Glen: On 1 April 2019 the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) widened eligibility to take a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) to include ‘small businesses’ who have:an annual turnover of less than £6.5m; andan annual balance sheet total of less than £5m; orfewer than 50 employees.‘Micro-enterprises’ were already eligible, and over 99% of businesses are now within the remit of the FOS. The FCA also increased the maximum FOS award limit to £350,000. The banking industry have also committed to establishing a new Dispute Resolution Service to resolve both future complaints from businesses with a turnover between £6.5m and £10m, and unresolved historic complaints.

Retail Trade: Non-domestic Rates

Jim McMahon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking through the business rate system to support large retailers that act as anchor stores.

Jesse Norman: From April 2018 the Government switched the annual indexation of the business rates multiplier from RPI to the lower rate of CPI inflation. This change is worth almost £6bn over the next five years and benefits all ratepayers, large and small. The Government is also increasing the frequency of property revaluations, from every five years to every three, so that bills are fairer and more closely reflect properties’ current rental values.

Funerals: Pre-payment

Jim McMahon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to improve the protection of funds held by companies for prepaid funerals.

John Glen: HM Treasury launched a call for evidence on the regulation of pre-paid funeral plans in June 2018. The call for evidence has confirmed that consumer detriment is present in the pre-paid funeral plan sector and that there is broad demand for the sector to come under compulsory regulation. Consequently, the government intends to bring the pre-paid funeral plan market within the remit of the Financial Conduct Authority and is currently consulting on the proposed legislative framework to implement this proposal. This will allow the FCA to establish a robust regulatory regime which will apply to all funeral plan providers, and improve protection for consumers.

Tax Avoidance

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of disapplying the 2019 Loan Charge to loans made before the Finance (No. 2) Act 2017 received Royal Assent.

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of people affected by the 2019 Loan Charge that have not been contacted by HMRC.

Jesse Norman: An estimate of the cost of amending the loan charge to remove loans made before 2017 is not available. The loan charge was legislated in the Finance (No.2) Act 2017 and is part of a package which was estimated to yield £3.2 billion over five years.HMRC have written directly to scheme users identified through their compliance work, IT records and tax return data. This includes individual scheme users, employers and company directors. In addition, HMRC have actively encouraged DR scheme users to come forward through their regular contact with taxpayers, and seek to increase awareness through their series of Spotlight publications, social media activity, and webinars. HMRC are not aware of any individuals affected whom they have not yet contacted.

Energy: VAT

Drew Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the supply of materials for an energy saving materials installation is included under VAT Notice 708/6 defined under 2.3.2 as ancillary services/supplies; and whether it is his Department's policy that those ancillary services or supplies be included in calculations of energy saving materials installations for the purposes of establishing which VAT rate will apply under the new Value Added Tax (Reduced Rate) (Energy-Saving Materials) Order 2019.

Jesse Norman: The supply of materials for an energy saving materials installation is not considered to be an ancillary service. For the purposes of establishing which VAT rate will apply under the new Value Added Tax (Reduced Rate) (Energy-Saving Materials) Order 2019, where the 60 per cent limit is exceeded, the service element of the installation will continue to benefit from the reduced rate.

Smuggling

Mary Glindon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 49 of Budget 2018, what progress he has made on the establishment of a UK-wide Anti-Illicit Trade Group.

Robert Jenrick: Following the recommendations in the report of the APPG on Illicit Trade, the Government announced, at Budget 2018, the establishment of a new UK-wide Anti-Illicit Trade Group. Officials are currently working to establish a first meeting of the new Group and further announcements will be made in due course.

UK Trade with EU

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many UK businesses have obtained an EORI number in each month of 2019; and what estimate he has made of the number of businesses with an EORI number (a) currently, (b) one year ago, (c) three years ago and (b) five years ago.

Jesse Norman: Since December 2018 HM Revenue & Customs have issued approximately 74,000 new UK Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) numbers, up to 23 June. The reporting for UK EORI numbers is not done on a monthly basis so a monthly breakdown for EORI numbers issued is not available. The historical information on EORI numbers is not readily accessible.

Share Fishermen: Taxation

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 5 July 2019 to Question 270381 on Share Fishermen: Taxation, what the timeframe is for HMRC to confirm the new scheme.

Jesse Norman: HMRC plan to write to all share fishermen as soon as possible, advising them that the share fishermen scheme will stop after the July Self Assessment (SA) period. The letter will refer share fishermen to the SA guidance, which includes guidance on setting up a Budget Payment Plan should they wish to take advantage of that.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Sportsgrounds: Health Hazards

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has received representations from health experts on the health risks of rubber crumbs from artificial sports pitches.

Mims Davies: Government is working closely with Sport England, officials from the Environment Agency, Public Health England and many of the major National Governing Bodies (NGBs) of sport on the subject of playing surfaces in England, including rubber crumb pitches. The department is aware of, and feeding into the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) consultation on the restriction of microplastics. We will continue to work closely with experts in this field and will monitor the situation closely.

Mobile Phones: Yorkshire and the Humber

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with mobile phone network operators on improving coverage across Yorkshire and the Humber.

Margot James: Ministers have meet Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) regularly to discuss a range of issues, including network coverage.The Government wants the UK to have high-quality mobile coverage where people live, work and travel. We are committed to extending geographic mobile coverage to 95% of the UK, as well as providing an uninterrupted mobile signal on all major roads, which should lead to coverage improvements across Yorkshire and the Humber.

Broadband: South Northamptonshire

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to (a) ensure that all households in South Northamptonshire constituency have access to super-fast broadband at speeds greater than 24 Mbps and (b) accelerate the roll-out of ultrafast broadband at speeds greater than 100 Mbps in that constituency.

Margot James: The Superfast programme met its original objective of delivering at least 24Mbps broadband to 95% of the population in December 2017, and is now pushing beyond 96% with an ambition to reach at least 97% coverage by March 2020. According to ThinkBroadband, Superfast Coverage (>24mbps) in South Northamptonshire in December 2017 was 91.8%, it is now 95.69%. Superfast programme take-up in Northamptonshire (County Council area) was 46.11% in December 2017, and 58.96% in Mar 2019. The government has invested heavily in Northamptonshire, with over £9million of central government funding allocated and local bodies’ have also contributed over £11million to the project. Delivery is managed by Superfast Northamptonshire, our local delivery partner. Last July, the Government published its Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, which set out the Government’s strategy for ensuring that 15 million premises are connected to faster than ultrafast, gigabit capable broadband networks by 2025 with nationwide coverage by 2033. This includes an ‘outside-in’ approach through which the Government will support the deployment of gigabit capable broadband to the least commercial 10% of UK premises, at the same time that the market is deploying to more commercial areas. The first step in this approach is the £200 million Rural Gigabit Connectivity programme, which launched in May 2019, and will connect local hubs in rural areas to gigabit capable broadband, as well as providing gigabit vouchers to small businesses and residents.

Lotteries

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to announce a decision on increasing the society lotteries sale limit.

Mims Davies: Last year society lotteries raised nearly £300m and as the Minister for Sports and Civil Society I am keenly aware of the vital role that they play in this country, supporting countless good causes including our charities, hospices and air ambulances. Society lotteries sit alongside the National Lottery, which last year raised £1.6bn. DCMS ran a consultation on society lotteries reform from June to September 2018. This included options which considered changes to the annual sales limits. I hope to respond to the consultation before the summer recess.

Huawei: 5G

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2019 to Question 272302 on Huawei: 5G, what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) UK operators and (b) significant commercial networks in the UK.

Margot James: There are two major fixed line providers and four major mobile providers providing the majority of the public network.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress the Government has made on the roll out of superfast broadband to rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: The Superfast programme met its original objective of delivering at least 24Mbps broadband to 95% of the population in December 2017, and is now pushing beyond 96% with an ambition to reach at least 97% coverage by March 2020. The Rural Gigabit Connectivity (RGC) programme launched in May 2019 and will run until the end of March 2021. £200 million has been allocated to the Programme, from the National Productivity Investment Fund. This is the first step of our “Outside In” approach, as outlined in the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review (FTIR), to ensure that no areas are systematically left behind when it comes to the deployment of gigabit capable broadband. The FTIR estimated that around 10% of premises in the UK would need some sort of additional funding to get this connectivity. The RGC Programme will trial a model connecting local hubs in rural areas to gigabit capable broadband, starting with primary schools. The RGC programme also has a rural gigabit broadband voucher component, offering up to £3,500 for small businesses and up to £1,500 for residents. This will be offered to encourage greater take-up of gigabit-capable connectivity to residents and businesses in rural areas. In addition, and not specifically Superfast Broadband, I can confirm that the Local Full Fibre Networks programme is currently working with Tyne Combined Authority on a £12m bid that will deliver full fibre connectivity in Northumberland to 313 sites, improving the addressable full fibre coverage and associated productivity gains for homes and businesses.

Cybercrime

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2019 to Question 272248, what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) businesses employing 250 or more people and (b) SMEs that are registered for the cyber security information sharing partnership.

Margot James: The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) does not hold membership figures by size of organisations on cyber-security information sharing partnership (CiSP). NCSC can report that over 20 sectors are represented on CiSP which includes SME’s and organisations of various sizes.

Holidays: Low Incomes

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has received from the Family Holidays Association on providing financial support for domestic holidays for families in need.

Mims Davies: DCMS Ministers have not met the Family Holiday Association. DCMS officials met with the organisation earlier this year. They are planning a follow up meeting in the near future.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the oral evidence from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Exiting the European Union to the Committee on Exiting the European Union of 4 September 2018, if he will publish the 300 cross-government workstreams on no deal; and what the (a) red, (b) amber and (c) green status is for each of those workstreams.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Government has over 300 work streams looking at specific no deal plans across a range of sectors and these are well advanced. There is still some work to be done but departments are making sensible decisions about prioritisation.The underlying detail for each workstream, including any assessment of those programmes, is exceptionally sensitive. If workstreams - or the underlying data - were made public, both our negotiating position and our ability to manage delivery across the programme would be significantly damaged.

Brexit

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to paragraph 8 of the February 2019 report Implications for Business and Trade of a No Deal Exit on 29 March 2019, what proportion of (a) all and (b) the most critical no deal projects are on track.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Government has over 300 work streams looking at specific no deal plans across a range of sectors and these are well advanced. There is still some work to be done but departments are making sensible decisions about prioritisation.The underlying detail for each workstream, including any assessment of progress, is exceptionally sensitive. If workstreams - or the underlying data - were made public, both our negotiating position and our ability to manage delivery across the programme would be significantly damaged.